Leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau wrapped up overnight by reinforcing the importance of urgent climate action and calling for an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels.
WWF-New Zealand’s Conservation Impact Manager, Jamie Fowler, who is on the ground at PIF, says there is an increasingly stark gap between New Zealand’s rhetoric in the Pacific and its actions at home.
“We cannot keep telling our Pacific neighbours that we stand with them on climate change while simultaneously pursuing more oil and gas and subsidising new fossil fuel infrastructure.
“In all the conversations we’ve had here in Palau, Pacific delegates have been expressing their concern about New Zealand’s renewed fossil fuel expansion and climate backsliding.
“Reopening offshore oil and gas exploration and pursuing a new LNG import facility are completely out of step with the direction our Pacific neighbours are setting and undermine action on the very real threats climate change poses to Pacific livelihoods.
“Our Government repeatedly presents fossil fuels as a necessary solution to energy security. Pacific leaders are recognising the opposite: dependence on fossil fuels leaves countries exposed to volatile global fuel prices and supply shocks, while renewable energy is the way forward.
“If New Zealand is serious about being a good Pacific neighbour and a credible player internationally, our actions at home need to match the commitments we make alongside our Pacific neighbours.”
“The Pacific is showing what climate leadership looks like. New Zealand needs to decide if it wants to be part of that future.”