Page 13 - IB September 2018 Edition

Political Brief - PacIFIc

Nations face pressure to act on climate change

CITIES, states and business from around the world will call
on national governments to redouble their efforts to fight
climate change.
The ‘call to action’ will ask nations to update their pledges
to the Paris Agreement at a meeting hosted by UN secretary
general Antonio Guterres in one year’s time in New York,
according to organisers of the Global Climate Action Summit.
Currently, the collective pledges under the Paris Agreement
set the world on course for a disastrous level of warming.
The emergence of ‘subnational’ actors in the fight against
climate change comes as UN talks between countries are
mired in technical struggles over the rules of the Paris
Agreement they signed in 2015.
WWF’s Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, a former Peruvian minister WWF’s Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (far right) with COP23 President Frank Bainimarama.
Photo: Fijian Government
who was on the summit’s advisory committee, said national
governments would have “the wind at their backs” and be contact with its effect on people. Milanese mayor Giuseppe
able to strike a deal on the rules when they meet in Poland Sala said the commitments made at his level of government
in December. If the rules for the deal can be agreed, then could drive action higher up.
attention turns to how fas t countries are using it to cut “If we do something good in a city then the government
emissions. can be pushed to copy that,” he said. “If I fly back to Milan
Deeper cuts to greenhouse pollution “really rest on the and I tell the journalists and people I want to do this and
generation of political will from the ground up”, Elliot Dir- that because I agreed with the other mayors of main cities
inger, executive vice president of the Centre for Climate and of the world, I will be stronger.”
Energy Solutions, told Climate Home News. The gathering last month, which was organised by Cali-
Mayors and city officials CHN spoke to said they felt pres- fornia governor Jerry Brown, saw a host of announcements
sure to act on climate change because they were in direct coming from what participants dubbed the ‘real economy’.

who experience violence are far more likely to pass it on and constituency at Northeast Guadalcanal as a lot of people have
be violent later on in life, and are less likely to learn and grow been going as well to register at East Honiara, Central Gua-
to their full potential,” said Sheldon Yett. He said Pacific at- dalcanal, North Guadalcanal and some constituencies outside
titudes towards parental discipline are also not helpful. of Guadalcanal Province,” said Sikua.

Japan provides 300 million Yen aid Marshall Islands welcomes 2019 Climate Summit
TARAWA, Kiribati - The Japanese Government will provide MAJURO, Marshall Islands - President Hilda C. Heine has
assistance worth 300 million Japanese yen (AUD$3.6 million) welcomed the announcement from the UN Secretary-General
to the Government of Kiribati through its Economic Social Antonio Guterres in New York to hold a Climate Summit in
Development Programme (ESDP). The funding assistance will September 2019. “Today we have heard an unprecedented
enable the procurement of a water truck and other equipment call to arms by a UN Secretary-General. As he made clear,
needed to increase Kiritimati Island’s capacity to overcome its there is now a full-blown climate crisis that requires a political
vulnerability to climate change. Signing to formalise the as- response that goes beyond business as usual. We are quite
sistance was held at the Japanese Embassy in Suva between simply running out of time to stop the runaway and cata-
Ambassador Masahiro Omura and the Kiribati Minister for strophic consequences of a warming world, and my country
Line and Phoenix Islands Development, Mikarite Temari. and others like us are on the frontline.
Kiribati is composed of 33 atolls spread out on the Pacific
Ocean and is extremely vulnerable to climate change like sea EU money scandal in Vanuatu
level rise. PORT Vila, Vanuatu - MP Francois Sani has called on the
government to prosecute MPs, public servants and provincial
Clarity results in cross-border registration administrators who have been implicated in an over US$2.5
HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Member of Parliament for North million scandal. The money, under the European Development
East Guadalcanal and former Prime Minister Dr. Derek Sikua Fund 9, was allocated for three major projects but was alleg-
believes the cross-border registration of voters is a direct result edly misused. According to a Commission of Inquiry report,
of the amendment recently passed by the national parliament, two projects were declared completed in February 2017 for
which broadens the definition of ‘ordinary residence.’ When Torba and Penama Provinces, but were found to be non-
Island Sun newspaper asked Dr Sikua whether he was aware operational, while funding for a project in Malampa Province
of current reports circulating that cross-border registration in was almost used up, even though the project was never set up.
constituencies has been going on within his own constitu- Sani told the Daily Post newspaper that white collar crime was
ency, the MP for North East Guadalcanal said he would not eroding the trust and confidence people had for the leadership.
deny such reports. “Yes, I have heard of the cross-border He said it is not right that the commission report presented
registration for voting and indeed it is happening too in my to the Council of Ministers had been shelved.

Islands Business, September 2018 13