World news: Australia under fire from states that may disappear under water
If sea levels rise, then some Pacific islands might disappear altogether. So they are pressing Australia to help prevent global warming. But, as Robert Milliken reports, they aren't getting much of a hearing.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Tuvalu is so small you can barely find it on the map, and life under its South Pacific palms would not seem to pose too many problems. But yesterday, this tiny country joined with other Pacific island nations to attack their big neighbour, Australia, which they accuse of contributing to the global warming and rising sea levels that are threatening to wipe them off the face of the earth.
Australia and its Prime Minister, John Howard, came under fire at the summit in the Cook Islands of the South Pacific Forum. The Australians have steadfastly refused to bow to pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to below international targets, claiming their country is a special case because of its small population (18 million) and high economic dependence on fossil fuels.
Australia's Pacific island neighbours yesterday fuelled the row by declaring that enough was enough. They accused Australia of hypocrisy, claiming that its intransigence on greenhouse gases potentially poses a bigger environmental threat to the Pacific than the French nuclear tests which Australia vociferously opposed two years ago.
Tuvalu is an extreme case of the nations who believe their very existence is threatened. The coral atolls on which its 9,000 inhabitants make their livlihoods from coconuts and fishing are barely six metres above sea level. According to Bikenibeu Paeniu, Tuvalu's Prime Minister, unless something is done to stop global warming over the next 20 years, then his country could be the world's first to disappear under rising sea levels.
At a meeting last weekend ahead of the forum, Mr Paeniu joined with leaders of four other island states, Nauru, Niue, Kiribati and the Cook Islands, to pass a resolution calling on rich countries such as Australia to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2005 to one-fifth below their 1990 levels.
Mr Howard yesterday appeared to dismiss the islanders' claims that Australia's environmental policies were helping to put their futures at risk.
"That is an extremely exaggerated statement and not one that impresses me," he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments