Prime Minister Tony Abbott has rejected a proposal from the 53-nation Commonwealth to establish a new fund to help poor and island countries to combat climate change.
I’ve wondered for quite a while why some of the small Pacific nations that are terribly worried about Climate Change have not sued Western countries for compensation. According to them, Climate Change is undermining their very existence. Through rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions, their nations are being engulfed and becoming unliveable. Very soon, we will start to have Climate Change refugees. And the finger is being pointed to the west. Western countries created this problem, and western countries should clean it up. Maybe they need more data to prove Climate Change. Maybe they are keeping their powder dry for the day when they know they will win. Who knows? But it seems to me that the current Australian Government is admitting to nothing, and won’t be supporting any of these unfortunate countries any time soon.
As the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) wrapped up in Sri Lanka this week, Mr. Abbott joined only Canada in rejecting a decision by the summit to establish a green capital fund to help small island states and poor African countries address the effects of global warming. The proposal is for Commonwealth countries to work within the UN climate change network to build the fund for small and poor countries to access. One of the key themes of the summit was the plight of low-lying, and poor states who are especially vulnerable to climate change, but don’t have the money for adaptation.
Small state leaders pleaded with their colleagues to urgently address global warming, and spoke passionately during public forums about the need for help from larger, wealthier nations to tackle the issue. But the final agreement from the 53 members of the Anglosphere Commonwealth noted that:
Australia and Canada (have)… indicated they could not support a Green Capital Fund at this time.
The New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, who agreed to the fund in principle, said Tony Abbott and the Canadian delegate had said they
can’t agree to fund their contribution. Australia is going to have to establish as a government how it will approach these international issues.
Sounds like our cross Tasman neighbors aren’t too impressed with the current Governments ideology on Climate Change and the tact in delivering it.
Master of Environment 