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Australian PM Malcolm
Turnbull spoke to Pacific Island leaders, including the PM of the Cook
Islands Henry Puna, in Pohnpei, Micronesia. Picture: Lyndon
Mechielsen/News Corp. Source:News Corp Australia
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THERE is “no more pressing need” in
the region than climate change, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told
Pacific leaders in Micronesia.
Mr Turnbull announced $300 million to help the Pacific “manage climate change and improve disaster resilience”.The Prime Minister landed in Pohnpei on Friday for his third round of regional talks — having visited Hangzhou in China for the G20 and Vientiane in Laos for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
“Over the next four years we’ll provide $300 million to Pacific island countries including $75 million for disaster preparedness. This is an additional $80 million on the current levels,” he said.
Mr Turnbull also said Australia would ratify the Paris climate change agreement this year or early next year.
“We will ratify it as soon as parliamentary processes allow ... Its ratification is not controversial,” he told the Pacific Island Forum in Pohnpei.
Earlier Mr Turnbull met with Federated States of Micronesia Peter Christian; Mr Christian said he was ashamed Micronesia did not have an embassy in Australia and that he would like to find “a little building somewhere in Canberra”.
The two also discussed the Pacific patrol vessels Australia will build, which will replace the existing boats used to stop illegal fishing in the area, for search and rescue, and for national security.
Held in the backdrop of green hills, blue water and palm trees, Mr Turnbull looked decidedly relaxed as he sported a green and blue leaf motif shirt at the 47th Pacific Islands Forum — themed ‘Small and Far: Challenge for Growth”.
Speaking in the lead-up to the forum, FSM Vice President Yosiwo George said due to the distance and smallness of forum countries they face transportation, economic growth and development and foreign investment barriers. “Many of our economies have the same characteristics: low productivity, low growth, and an inefficient public sector involvement in job creation,” he said.
How to solve these issues as well as grappling with the increasing threat of climate change and disaster mitigation will top the forum’s agenda.
According to the World Bank, FSM already incurs, on average, $US8.8 million ($A11.5 million) per year (about 3.1 per of GDP) in losses due to typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis.
Climate change will only increase this vulnerability — resulting in more intense typhoons, sea level rises storm surges, floods and droughts — adversely impacting agriculture, fisheries, coastal zones and water resources.
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Malcolm Turnbull will
discuss the increasing impacts of climate change with Pacific Island
leaders in Pohnpei, Micronesia. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/News Corp. Source:News Corp Australia
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“We must continue to show leadership and encourage all countries to ratify the agreement,” Mr O’Neill added.
In a report released earlier this week, Oxfam Australia said Australia was not doing enough in the Pacific to help them battle the effects of climate change and called on the government to commit $A3.2 billion by 2020.
Mr Turnbull has already flagged that he will be announcing a “substantial” assistance package at the forum, but details are yet to be released. Australia will also be giving up to 21 patrol boats to Pacific Island countries to promote air surveillance to monitor illegal maritime activities.
On Thursday Mr Turnbull’s invitation to South-East Asian leaders to attend a special meeting in Australia has been enthusiastically received.
Mr Turnbull invited leaders to a special Australia-ASEAN summit in 2018.
“That invitation has been received with great enthusiasm and we look forward to that as another building block in this already very strong relationship,” he told reporters in Vientiane on Thursday.
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