Pacific Forum: Climate Change the “Single Greatest Threat”, USA Should Pay Up

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

Australia and New Zealand and the Pacific Island Nations have just tried to bully the USA on climate policy by signing the Boe Declaration, a joint declaration of the 49th Pacific Islands Forum which names climate change as the single greatest threat to the region, and specifically demands that the USA rejoin the Paris Agreement.

Australia joins Pacific to declare climate ‘single greatest’ security threat

Published on 05/09/2018, 2:45pm

Region of island states calls for the Paris Agreement to be upheld, with Australia joining despite recent political turmoil over climate policy

By Helga Timaroczky

Australia joined other Pacific island governments in a joint statement on Wednesday that named climate change as the major security issue facing the region.

At a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum on Nauru on Wednesday, leaders signed the Boe Declaration, which recognised climate change as “the single greatest threat to the livelihoods security and wellbeing of peoples of the Pacific”.

The declaration also committed signatories to follow through on the promises made in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

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Read more: http://www.climatechangenews.com/2018/09/05/australia-joins-pacific-declare-climate-single-greatest-security-threat/

From the communique supplied by Climate Change News;

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Climate Change and Disaster Resilience

15. Recognising that climate change presents the single greatest threat to the livelihood, security and wellbeing of Pacific people, Leaders reaffirmed the importance of immediate urgent action to combat climate change and committed to sustained, high level representation and collaboration in the lead up to, and at, 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention (COP 24) – to ensure effective progress on Pacific priorities with regards to the Paris Agreement, particularly the development of the Rule Book and Guidelines for implementing the Paris Agreement, building on the Talanoa Dialogue.

16. Leaders acknowledged the leadership of Fiji’s COP 23 presidency and called on the CROP Plus group to provide strong, coordinated support and assistance to members delegations in the UNFCCC negotiations.

17. Leaders called on countries, particularly large emitters, to fully implement their Nationally Determined Contribution mitigation targets, including through the development and transfer of renewable energy, in line with committed timeframes. Leaders of Forum Island Countries called on the United States to return to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

18. Leaders urged the expeditious progress of the work of the taskforce for the Pacific Islands Climate Change Insurance Facility.

19. Leaders requested the United Nations Secretary General to appoint a Special Adviser on climate change and security. Furthermore, Leaders called on the United Nations Security Council to appoint a special rapporteur to produce a regular review of global, regional and national security threats caused by climate change.

20. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the Framework for the Resilient Development of the Pacific recognising the value and importance of a multi-sectoral approach to addressing climate change and its impacts. Leaders acknowledged the establishment of a regional risk governance arrangement through the Pacific Resilience Partnership and the Pacific Resilience Partnership Taskforce.

21. Leaders endorsed the development of the concept of the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) and directed the Secretariat to progress the development of the PRF.

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Read more: 49th Pacific Islands Forum Boe Declaration (unofficial release)

In my opinion putting a signature to this declaration makes a mockery of claims the new Australian government is climate skeptic.

The USA has been incredibly generous over the years with everyone who signed that declaration, but forum attendees see an opportunity to extract more cash from US taxpayers and are going for it.