Guest essay by Eric Worrall
According to The Guardian, Australia’s reputation amongst Pacific islanders is at rock bottom because we haven’t made enough effort on climate change – though providing lots of aid money would help repair that reputation.
Australia’s standing in Pacific has plummeted because of our climate change failure
It’s about the very survival of people, nations and cultures. If action isn’t taken there are islanders who may have nowhere to go.
Scott Morrison flew to the Solomon Islands last weekend to “show our Pacific step-up in action” but this policy will fail if his government doesn’t take meaningful action on climate change. A successful step-up must include stopping our own pollution, defending the sovereignty of our friends in the Pacific and offering a safety net to those who may need it.
Over the past five years Australia’s standing in the Pacific has declined dramatically because of an unwillingness to take strong action on climate change. It’s not as if the Pacific hasn’t been clear. From female fishers to the Fijian prime minister, to remote communities in the Solomon Islands, climate change is a top-order issue. It’s about the very survival of people, nations and cultures. If action isn’t taken, in 40 years there are people in Pacific island states who may have nowhere to go.
It’s difficult to overstate how upset Pacific Islanders are when they look at Australia’s track record on climate. We are one of the world’s worst per-capita polluters and biggest exporters of thermal coal. While the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs has a strong track record of support to Pacific islands, that record is totally contradicted by political rhetoric on climate and our lack of emission reductions.…
Third, we need to rebuild Australia’s beleaguered aid program which should have the Pacific step-up at its heart. It’s essential Australia expands programs that are helping Pacific nations build resilience and adapt to climate change impacts in line with their rallying cry: “We are not drowning. We are fighting.”
But in a worst-case scenario no option should be off the table, up to and including the granting of Australian permanent residency for the entire populations of those nations at greatest risk. As Kevin Rudd pointed out in his February 2019 essay, this would now include Tuvalu, Nauru and Kiribati – the combined populations of which are less than half of Australia’s annual regular migration intake.
…
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2019/jun/08/australias-standing-in-pacific-has-plummeted-because-of-our-climate-change-failure
It would be easy to mock this blatant cash demand as a bunch of lazy islanders using climate as an excuse for a new handout, but in my opinion there is a deeper problem, a problem which probably actually is our fault.
A friend who used to manage a major business on a Pacific Island once told me a sad story. A teacher asked senior last year students to develop a plan of what they would do if they wanted to start their own business.
The first step of every student’s business plan was to apply for aid money, from the United Nations, or from some other aid organisation.
Decades of deluging Pacific Islanders with ridiculous amounts of free cash seems to have created an almost total welfare handout mentality. If my friend who spent years living in the islands is right, many Pacific islanders find it difficult to imagine any economic activity which does not start with a large chunk of free aid money.
Here we go again with the Guardian obsession… look, just stop reading it!
LOL! Griff telling us not to read his primary climate and environmental source.
Do I need to say it?
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
might as well….looks like everyone else has stopped reading it too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_the_United_Kingdom_by_circulation
Thanks. That’s the most encouraging bit of real news I’ve read all week.
stop reading it!
For once, I agree. Tack on to that just about any fake-stream media source (practically all of them).
Griff:
Here we go again with your WUWT obsession… look, just stop reading it!
Seriously, it is important to read and be aware of things you don’t agree with, for many reasons. One of the big problems with schools and universities today is that many, or most, students are not presented with a variety of viewpoints on many issues.
Ed Bo, it is that refusal to even see what the other side is saying that provides the institutions with the one sided bias, they then project to their pupils and students.
The Guardian is a desperate self seeking rag that has refused to even debate climate, they only ever present alarming so called “man made climate change”.
The BBC has also adopted this one sided view and shuts down any debate on the subject.
They both fear the debate they refuse to hold will show they are wrong in their core view.
“It can be difficult to get somebody to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
Will you take your own advise?
Griff,
Climate related articles in rags like the Guardian require attention and rebuttal, for they are a plague like cancer. Ignoring cancer doesn’t make it go away and so, like cancer, ignoring the Guardian also will not make it go away either. If ignored, the Guardian reports will, like cancer, spread and infect the minds of the innocent.
griff knows that articles in the Guardian can’t stand even casual scrutiny. That’s why he wants everyone who isn’t a true believer to back off.
While still allowing the messaging to spread uncontested.
We all need a laugh sometimes.
This may be one of the few times I (sort of) agree with griff. However, Bletchley park comes to mind where they read (with much brilliant effort) what the enemy was saying, despite there being a contingent that objected because “gentlemen do not read other gentelmen’s mail”. I generally avoid reading this kind of journalistic excrement as it adds to the stress in my life that I just don’t need. However it is good to know what the enemy is doing. I just wonder what to do with it. Bletchley had some other other companion agencies that blew things up using their information. I guess we don’t have the option so I’m open to suggestions. Just thinking.
– Unknown what that would have to do with Bletchley Park anyways; Churchill and the war leaders clearly understood that “nice guys finish last”. The Brits have always done what it takes to win wars. As an example, it’s against international law to blockade foodstuffs and material that can’t be used for war-making purposes; yet throughout WW1 the RN stopped EVERYTHING going into Germany. The Germans complained loudly about this, justifiably – yet ultimately were starved-out of the war (just as they themselves tried to do to the U.K), saving many lives.
And in WW2, the U-boats focused-on tankers wherever possible, though it’s doubtable this was done for high-flown morality; you hit your enemy where it hurts the most. That said, the kriegsmarine were among the most honourable and well-behaved services of any in WW2, and cases of machine-gunning survivors in lifeboats were vanishingly rare, whatever Allied propaganda made of the few known occurrences.
Once again, griff’s answer to everything is more ignorance.
You really don’t like it when your lords are riduculed, do you.
Wittle Gwiffy, don’t you read the ” Sunday Funnies” ? (comics)
He flew to the Solomon Islands …. Says it all.
You could sail to the Solomons, but …. it might be a very long while before you get there.
‘You could sail to the Solomons’
I expect Willis already has.
Solomon Islands is just about the country in the world least threatened by sea-level rise considering the very rugged topography.
Ever hear about the battle for Guadalcanal? That was all about Henderson Field, an air base near the mouth of the Lunga River that dominated the whole Eastern Solomons because it was the only area big enough and flat enough for an airfield.
I have negative feelings about Australia’s reputation as well. I think 20 or 25 million would be a decent start toward turning that frown upside down, though. Not sure how much it will take to completely restore my good estimation of Oz – let’s just keep the wallet open and see what happens, shall we? I accept PayPal.
If only the 22 million people of Australia would revert to stone age type living. It would stop climate change and increase their standing in the community. Meanwhile China that champion of clean energy can just keep on polluting.
David – you need to read the Guardian more carefully: “… Australia’s track record on climate. We are one of the world’s worst per-capita polluters …“. The planet doesn’t react to total GHGs, it goes entirely by per capita GHGs. So China’s CO2 emissions are truly trivial – once you divide by 1bn population – and they have virtually no global impact at all.
Mike, good point, but it is more like 3 billion who have about net zero impact on CO2 emissions. They are the ones living in warm-ish climates and still cooking with biomass.
The per capita CO2 from the use of fossil fuels in Central Asia ( a group of ‘stans) is about 1 ton. Canadians are at about 20 tons. What is the number for Australia?
It is a bit humorous that the Solomon’s are touted as threatened by “climate change”. The big deal is sea level rise. How did they ever survive before? Sea Level was 2m higher at least, 8000 years ago, and 50 metres higher 3m year ago.
How much “Solomon” is there with sea level 50m higher? 90%? They have a peak 8000 ft high and 10 peaks over a mile high.
It is nice that Australia is so generous and all, but perhaps the net effect is not the desired one.
The funny thing is that Luxemburg (small country with no food exports and no mineral exports) is worse than Australia in the per capita stakes.
The Guradianistas are relying on data from very early 2000’s when Aus was indeed one of the worst. Nowadays, it struggles to get into the top 20.
It doesn’t really help either when ‘educated’ Westerners continually tell Pacific Islanders that their islands are being swamped by rising oceans, irregardless whether those claims are scientifically accurate or not. Since the sea has always been lapping at the shores of these islands, it is easy to ‘believe’ it might be true and so the blame game goes on about sea level rise, especially when there is a payout of some type to go along with this meme that SLR is going to swamp Oceana ‘very soon’, and all because we continue to do nothing about global warming. If we can’t get an honest reporting from science, academia and political institutions in the West about CAGW, then how do ever get the Pacific Islanders to not think they are about to be flooded by the seas?
Earthling2: I think you might mean, “regardless”? Or “irrespective”.
You and Jeff Alberts should get hitched and start a grammar school here…🧐
The Great Walrus is wise.
I think Bob Hawke coined the term “irregardless”. It’s a ripper combination, yeah?
Inflammable or flammable? 😉
It’s irked me for an embarrassingly large count of years, I think { – “There are three kinds of people in the world – those who can count, and the rest of us…” – } that “unflammable” isn’t a word. But that may be just me.
I simply fail to understand how intelligent people can keep on harping on the myth of “coral islands disappearing because of rising seas”. Darwin, for heaven’s sake, wrote a booklet 175 years ago explaining his theory which has since been verified over and over again. Only 12,000 years ago sea levels were 120 meters (yes, one tenth of a kilometer) lower than today – but the islands are still there.
But yes, rising seas will certainly ruin all those airports, modern hotels and asphalt roads they have built there over the last 30 years. But can residents be called “climate refugees” because of that?? It just shows that it is a silly place to build airports, etc..
The fact that so much infrastructure is being built at sea level on these islands ( eg the new Maldives airport) shows that no one actually believes the CAGW nonsense.
In the Maldives the highest point is about 2.5m above sea level so they have little choice to build at or around sea level. However despite many predictions the Maldives refuses to disappear below the waves.
http://myweb.wwu.edu/dbunny/pdfs/Evid_Based_Climate_Sci/Ev_Based_Climate_Sci_Chap7.pdf
My point is that they are prepared to invest large amounts of money in these projects. They wouldn’t do that if they really believed the CAGW sea-level rise nonsense.
I believe Singapore, which is largely run by the Chinese, is a prime example that supports your point.
china is filling the gap by building 50 armored islands..
that’ll change the clmate wondefully..
china will fix the climate with their 50 armored islands
Maybe Australia should look at as a stimulus program. Print money and give it to islanders who redeem it via goods and services that accept Australian money. When the aid runs out then rinse and repeat. It’s magic 😉
Most people can figure out what they should do on their own. If sea level rise really is a threat, one might get a house boat, move, etc. The choices are nearly endless. Asking for someone to give you money is one of those choices but is not satisfying for a number of reasons.
The spoiled children are having a tropical island tantrum because Daddy EnvironMentalBucks cut their allowance! Time to grow up, surf siblings!
Any addict is going to have a shattered opinion of their dealer if the supply of drugs is not as desired. Does that reputation really need to be restored? Wouldn’t a culture of self reliant self respect be better?
They’re going to fix something with their 50 armored islands.
My computer just finished my first model run. The results indicate that the Pacific Islanders will not enjoy the Chinese “fix”.
Some time around 1960, John Diefenbaker implemented his civil rights legislation in Canada. That, logically extend full rights to Canada’s Indians and Eskimos. link Here’s where I’m on shaky ground. My memory is that this was the first time that Indians and Eskimos were entitled to receive welfare payments.
Some time around 1968, I asked a group of Indian kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. They looked at me blankly. I then asked how they intended to support themselves. The immediate and cheerful answer was welfare.
If I’m right about when they first received welfare, it took less than eight years for a welfare mentality to set in. Holy Moses.
Everybody blames the residential school system for ruining the lives of Canada’s Indians. I would say that giving them welfare might actually have resulted in worse damage. That’s a politically incorrect observation though …
I’ve been told by numerous left wingers, that the idea that when you give people free money, they get lazy is just a right wing myth. According to them it’s been proven that giving people hand outs makes them work harder, out of gratitude or something.
Also, when you take away someone’s money via taxes, they will just work harder so that they can still enjoy the same net income.
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime..(and get some peace and quit from a nagging wife) : ) ….LOL
My nagging wife saved my life, literally!
Every time you take a fish away from someone who caught it so you can give it to someone who didn’t, you reduce the incentive of both of them to go fishing.
Yep. That’s only a bit of a contradiction.
Giving people money for free is often a disaster.
My favorite example of the damage money can do is the Hobbema Reserve in Alberta. There was oil money and when people got to the age of majority, they got a pile of money. That sure didn’t make people happy. The suicide rate was huge. Of course, lack of money also doesn’t make people happy. Another reserve, Pikangikum has been called the suicide capital of the world.
In the same vein, Jordan Peterson points out that giving coke addicts money is the worst thing you can do to them.
Helping damaged people fix themselves is hard. Simplistic solutions just make things worse. Canada’s prime minister, Dances with Unicorns, has declared that what happened to Canada’s Indians and Eskimos was a genocide. It’s just another example of stupid people thinking they have the answers.
It’s no excuse that Australia settles more refugees per 1000 in the population than any other nation.
If it doesn’t play the ‘aid money donation stakes bidding contest’ someone else will. Regardless, Oz has to participate in this charade.
We all know about the well-proven loans scams where loans obviously cannot be repaid and will become a reason to plunder resources as repayment.
(And don’t forget the Oz gold mine in the Sol Islands makes them a special case).
Last time i looked at Pacific Island tide gauges installed and maintained by Australia on the BoM website I could see no indication of any rise in sea level. But then I am not trained in these matters, I can only interpret what I see.
Secondly on the suggestion that people living on these island have a hand-out mentality, I can not comment but I do see similar behaviour among many youngsters here in Australia. The world owes me a living. It everybody else’s fault.. It is not universal and we do have some talented, hard working and ambitious young people, but it seems to be a growing problem. By the way, the aforementioned Prime Minister, ScoMo, has just given himself and all his parliamentary comrades a 10% pay rise while the government is seeking to cut the working conditions of the lowest paid workers in this country.
2%
WUWT, the Teenage Super Sleuths have a bunch of new videos out about Global Warming. Please share them with your readers. It is important that we encourage the youth to understand the science behind climate change.
The Teenage Super Sleuths have made some videos about your website.
https://youtu.be/FBoAdu8GtR0
https://youtu.be/JhadvHrZ_Ks
https://youtu.be/BW7FsdTrvOE
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https://youtu.be/ZNShlh8OHcs
https://youtu.be/JPJ2IFeI2GA
https://youtu.be/425LT0hmBDg
https://youtu.be/i0aUIzH6mto
https://youtu.be/0Jz_JRa3fVY
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https://youtu.be/bLa_U0ztf1g
https://youtu.be/Zw8bhG1spTM
https://youtu.be/fQw_FB_9q4Y
As the saying goes: Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Give him a fistful of climate cash and he will ask “is that all”?
Like all budget requests, he will say, “MOAR!”
For the information of the Grauniad, Australia is not running an Empire in the South Pacific..Australia already gives generous support to neighbouring islands as this is the neighbourly thing to do. Britain was responsible for the Empire that transformed into a Commonwealth of which the Queen is the head.. If the Grauniad wants extra cash for the South Pacific islands it could ask the Queen if she has any spare cash. For decades, Pacific Islanders including Papua New Guinea have been deluged with obscene amounts of cash which are regarded now as a Cargo Cult Right. It has created a Welfare-State mentality in the Islands particularly New Guinea. The Islanders now regard economic activity as actually consisting of overseas cash payments and aid money.
Don’t forget France has extensive colonial history in the area too.
All part of the UN plan to create a non existent problem, scare vulnerable people into believing it, offer them free money as a solution, shame others into providing that money, skim from that money to build their empire.
Watch what happens in PNG when it becomes the largest oil producer in the Pacific in 20 years or less.
Have a program to fly photography over the islands every 5 years to detect changes and report on them.
They’ve already done that. The vast majority of Pacific Islands have grown over the last 50 years, despite sea level rise. Something like 80% of islands have grown in size or are the same size. This is what makes climate alarmism so confounding and fascinating. They keep trotting out the same old scare stories even though they have been utterly debunked. And the useful idiots keep lapping it up.
They tell me every little bit helps-
https://www.caravansplus.com.au/guides/carbon-neutral-shipping-a-111.html
Yes I bought some items online from them interstate a year ago and as you’d well know you immediately have a new pen pal and they proudly announced that in their latest email. Like their newly acquired expertise in sublime irony they do offer excellence in shipping a large range of RV goodies at competitive prices but that does present a wee dilemma for my future custom now.
What the Hell I should swallow my intellectual pride and simply bask in the warm inner glow of saving the Pacific neighbours. Please please no worship or kissing of the feet as it’s the least a bloke can do.
If your country relies on support from another country to sustain/defend your country’s sovereignty, your country has no sovereignty.
Nah just declare war on the US and surrender quickly-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared
To paraphrase former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating: Never get between the leaders of developing countries and a bucket of money.
I think Eric is wrong about the main problem. It is not aid money making ppl unproductive.
It is the small population at a distant island with little natural resources. A large population with oil could make it. Or a small population that has access to trade and education in between bigger populations.
Solomon Islands and other similar places suffer from small economy due to high price of imported commodities and lack of exportable products.
You could do e.g. software there, but you’d need fast and cheap telecommunications, higher education, and some sized population to educate themselves, none of which are there. Heck, I would move there, if they had the infrastructure.
In the global economy, a place where importing and exporting is expensive and domestic market small, is destined to low wages, poverty, low productivity and weak infra.
It is not Australians’ fault small paradise islands are poor.
Australians should build lots more island resorts on those islands….with plans to move when the sea rises too much. That would be during the beginning of the next interglacial in about 20,000 years.
Last I read some years ago now, Ice-Ages last between 90,000-130,000 years! Interglacials only last between 11’000-15,000 years! The current Interglacial started around 11,500 years ago! A quick bit of mental arithmatic………..Oh Sh1t!!!!
“…the granting of Australian permanent residency
for the entire populations of those nations at greatest risk.”
Bangladesh?