Page 21 - IB September 2018 Edition

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roll out money received from the Green are very strong. Kiribati could have poses serious dangers to the until-now
Climate Fund for Fiji’s climate change taken the lead on climate financing pristine waters of the surrounding bay.
efforts. given their specific expertise in that area. Also gaining attention on social media
In Bangkok with time running out, “Instead, Fiji tried to run the show through a concerted effort by the op-
COP24 in Poland approaching at high and there was little, if any, meaningful position Social Democratic Liberal Party
speed and national elections on the discussion on these issues and the event (SODELPA) is the damage caused by
horizon, Bainimarama played one of the became a talk fest and a promotional trip open cut bauxite mining on Vanua Levu.
set pieces he successfully uses at home for one country – Fiji.” And there are new rumblings in Ba
– the guilt trip followed by grabbing the Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Enele So- where a Chinese company plans to mine
moral high ground. poanga, agrees that his country was left magnetite-rich sand at Votua.
He started with challenging leaders out of the discussions despite being on Villagers have raised their concerns
to come up with a set of guidelines and the front line of the fight against rising on the damage that will be caused to
followed up with a thinly veiled accusa- sea levels. the marine life which is their livelihood.
tion that little had been done. While he would not be drawn into And they want to know why they were
“Would any of us like to return to discussions on the futility of Fiji’s lead- not consulted on the matter.
our people and tell them that we had ership in Bonn, Sopoanga spoke pas- Now, the influential head of Fiji’s Ro-
the chance to do something truly great sionately about the reality which faces man Catholic Church, Archbishop Peter
and truly necessary for the world we his nation, a string of nine atolls north Loy-Chong, has waded into the debate
will pass to our children, but that we of Fiji and south of Kiribati. and is expected to visit the community
lacked the will to get it done?” he asked “We cannot afford any further sea in early October.
delegates. level rise if Tuvalu is to survive and our Loy-Chong’s mother was from Nata-
But in 2015 the Suva Declaration people are to maintain their identity and leira Village on the Tailevu coast and is
identified several key guidelines which culture,” Sopoanga said. home to two eco-tourism resorts.
set the platform for the major break- “Our survival is dependent upon But less than 10 kilometres away at
throughs for the Pacific and Small Island industrialised countries reducing their Dawasamu, another Chinese company,
Developing States at COP21 in Paris just emissions and being more responsible. licensed by Bainimarama’s government,
months later. Yes, money is a factor towards mitiga- is ripping gravel from the local river for
Four of the points highlighted in the tion but the key is responsibility with an airport project in Vanuatu.
Suva Declaration were carried forward carbon emissions.” The nearby Namena River has already
in the outcome document at the Paris Former Kiribati President, Anote been destroyed by gravel extraction for
talks – a reduction by 1.5 degrees Cel- Tong, believes the time for talk is over. construction of local roads.
sius in emissions, a formula to calculate “Action is important in order to ensure The Archbishop does not hold back
loss and damage, climate financing and that our grandchildren are able to play when it comes to protection of creation
adaptation methods. on the islands where we live today,” and the environment.
Those points went straight to the Tong said at a recent meeting in Tuvalu. “For far too long we’ve been hearing
document produced in Paris as a guide Unfortunately, there has been very voices at COP and other international
for the world to address climate change, little positive action since the talks in meetings,” he told parishioners at the
its impacts, threats and ways in which Paris. launch of a song decrying the destruc-
to protect the environment, communities The stark reality of that inaction was tion of creation.
and economies. brought to reality by Patricia Espinosa, “We hear the voice of governments,
Fiji rushed to ink the Paris Agreement Executive Secretary of the United Na- business and civil society but they are
in April 2016 before seizing the oppor- tions Framework Convention on Climate not our voices.
tunity at Marrakech, Morocco later that Change (UNFCCC) in an interview with “It is time for the church to speak up
year to take over the COP23 presidency, Reuters. for the people. It is time to say: Enough,
ostensibly on behalf of the Pacific. Espinosa said governments were not you are killing Mother Earth! You are
Once Fiji attained the presidency, on track to meet a goal of the Paris killing the gift of creation which is for
however, it failed to fully engage its agreement of capping temperatures well our grandchildren. Stop now!”
Pacific neighbours, particularly Tuvalu below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahren- The Creation Lament was written by
and Kiribati, in discussions on how heit) before the end of the century. Loy-Chong after his concern for envi-
to approach the pressing issues at the That is a serious indictment on Fiji’s ronmental damage in Fiji and the lack
Bonn summit. efforts to address climate change miti- of any progress by legislators to stop
Pacific Conference of Churches Climate gation factors. To make matters worse, the destruction.
Change Desk Officer, Frances Namou- Bainimarama’s backyard has been The lyrics reflect the thoughts of Ato-
mou, said the lack of consultation was literally ripped apart on climate change nina Loata of Votua Village at the mouth
evident in Bonn and led to what she and environmental issues in the last of the Ba River where a Chinese floating
described as the catastrophic failure of six months. processing plant waits to process black
the event to make significant progress. His Assistant Environment Minister, sand and extract magnetite.
“The major problem was that Fiji did Lorna Eden, was forced to quit after “We have one message for the gov-
not allow Kiribati and Tuvalu to take on investigations into environmental dam- ernment – please, stop this project,”
key aspects of climate change discus- age caused by a tourism development Loata said.
sions in Germany,” Namoumou said. by her family company in Savusavu in “This sand and the creatures which
“It would have been sensible for Tu- Fiji’s north. live here are our life. This is part of
valu to lead mitigation and resilience Hundreds of mangrove trees were cut us. Generations of Votua people have
discussions because that is where they or uprooted as part of the project which lived off the richness of the sand and

Islands Business, September 2018 21