Forum abandons Pacific people to climate disaster

"At the same time, Pacific Islands leaders have buckled to a watered down climate agreement that is devoid of substance."

"The Forum Communiqué comes as a slap in the face for the Pacific leaders who went into the PIF calling for 45% cuts in greenhouse pollution by 2020. Today they leave agreeing to 50% cuts by 2050.  They went in with a strong position that global warming needs to be kept below 1.5 degrees, and finished up agreeing to 2 degrees.

"The Small Island States reiterated their demands at a press conference just two days ago. Not only have those demands disappeared from the final communiqué, all 2020 targets have disappeared all together.

"Pacific Island leaders made it clear they need urgent, deep emissions cuts. Instead they got platitudes and handouts to build higher sea walls against the rising tides caused by Australian coal."

"Aiming to limit global warming to 2 degrees spells certain disaster for Pacific Islands, and leaves Rudd's moral credibility is in tatters.  

Greenpeace has blockaded the Hay Point coal terminal for the past two days to bring attention to the hypocrisy of Rudd's climate policy, late this afternoon sending its ship the Esperanza in to block the port.

Greenpeace will continue to take peaceful direct action to highlight the injustice of Australia abandoning our Pacific neighbours in support of the big polluters.
 
"Rudd's real climate policy is on display to the world, as he throws his support for the ongoing expansion of the coal industry," Ms Nabou said.

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