The move by Donald Trump to pull the United States out of the Paris Accord is a grave moral injustice say a group of Pacific Island civil society organisations under the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN)
They say his decision is a clear sign of his continued support of the fossil fuel industry which directly threatens the lives of communities living in the Pacific islands.
PICAN has demanded that Australia immediately reaffirm its commitment to the Paris Accord and begin strengthening its woefully inadequate targets.
They say it’s time for Australia to follow the lead of the Pacific and stand with those on the front-lines of climate change.
In February, PICAN wrote an open letter to Patrick Suckling, the Australian Ambassador for climate change:
“Time and again, Pacific island leaders have explained that climate change is the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. We must work together to tackle climate change.”
“Unfortunately and there is no polite way to put this, your government is knowingly undermining our future and the future of our children.
“In full knowledge of the facts and long-term impacts, the Australian government is pressing ahead with new coal mines and coal-fired power plants.”
“This directly contradicts global efforts to tackle climate change and puts our communities in peril.”
This week Cardinal Peter Turkson called for a more effective and unified approach to managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems is needed.
He was speaking at the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development,
“We cannot speak about marine and coastal ecosystems without considering the men and women who live there, because the human environment and the natural environment flourish or deteriorate together,” said Turkson
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