6 September 2018, The Guardian, Australia tried to water down climate change resolution at Pacific Islands Forum: leader. Australia attempted to water down a resolution on climate change agreed by country representatives at the Pacific Islands Forum, a leader attending the event has claimed. Pacific leaders issued the Boe declaration on Wednesday night, calling climate change “the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific” at the conclusion of the Pacific Islands Forum, which has been held in Nauru this week. However the forum communique – which focused heavily on climate change and the need for emissions reductions – was endorsed by leaders “with qualification”. The communique made it clear that it was only “leaders of forum island countries” – a term that a forum spokesperson confirmed denoted all forum member countries other than Australia and New Zealand – who called on the US to return to the Paris agreement on climate change. A spokesperson from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “I can confirm that NZ absolutely supports the reference in the communique calling for the US to return to the Paris agreement.” Guardian Australia has sought comment from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Read more here
When asked at a press conference if those qualifications came from a country “beginning with A”, Enele Sopoaga, the prime minister of Tuvalu, confirmed that “the name of the qualifier, seeking qualifications [started] with capital A”.
Australia is the only nation in the Pacific to fit this description.
It appears Australia also did not support a section of agreement calling on the United States to return to the Paris agreement on climate change.