President Donald Trump’s move to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement is a grave moral injustice, say Pacific civil society groups.

His decision is a clear sign of continued support for the fossil fuel industry which directly threatens the lives of communities living in the Pacific Islands.

The group of Pacific Island civil society organisations affiliated to the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) say that while this move by Trump would isolate the US from any ambitious action on climate change, the Pacific and the rest of the world will carry on with Paris Agreement commitments.

PICAN also called on Australia to immediately reaffirm its commitment to the Paris Agreement and begin strengthening its “woefully inadequate targets” in a statement today.

“It’s time for Australia to follow the lead of the Pacific and stand with those on the frontlines of climate change.”

Responses from PICAN members:

Krishneil Narayan, coordinator, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network:
“The Paris Agreement is a lifeline for vulnerable communities around the world. We will not be perturbed by the US withdrawal. Under no circumstances can the Paris Agreement be renegotiated. We expect all other countries to redouble their efforts to confront the climate crisis.

“We welcome the strong show of support to the Paris Agreement by many world leaders. The European Union, China, India and others are already forming alliances to support the continuation of the Paris Agreement.

“Even without the United States, climate action under the Paris Agreement will continue. Not even Trump can derail action on climate change. The United States will be isolated.”

Matisse Walkden Brown, head of Pacific Net, Greenpeace Australia Pacific:
“We move on and we move forward, together. The United States administration have shown their allegiance to the glory days of the past. Sadly for them, the economics, the science, and the people, all agree that the fossil fuel days are over, and that the transformation towards zero carbon is now irreversibly under way and accelerating.

“While this is a shameful day for President Trump and his people, it will not deter the rest of us. It is time for international politics to begin embracing new economies, new technologies, and commit to the fighting for the interests of the people, not the polluters. One man, one country will not change that.”

Koreti Tiumalu, Pacific coordinator, 350.org:
“Trump’s exit from the Paris agreement is immoral and a sign of shortsightedness on his part. It’s even clearer now that his priority is with protecting the profits of the fossil fuel industry and not the Pacific.

“Nevertheless, our Pacific people believe in the strength of the Pacific leadership, and the rest of the world, going into COP 23 and their commitments to the Paris Agreement. It is now up to us to continue to fight for our communities, stop all new fossil fuel projects and support a just transition towards 100% renewable energy.”

Noelene Nabulivou, Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, Pacific Partnerships on Gender, Climate Change and Sustainable Development (PPGCCSD), and the Women and Gender Constituency Liaison to the COP23 Presidency:
“This is not just the decision of one man, rather it is a reflection of an archaic social and economic system, one that is based on shortsighted selfishness and corporatisation of our planet.

“This only strengthens the resolve of all those who deeply care about this planet, all women and all people and all species. Resist and propose. Defend the Commons, work with us on alternate strategies. We will NEVER give up on this beautiful planet. ”

• Global critics denounce Trump’s climate pact withdrawal

If the Carmichael mine goes ahead, it would be the biggest coal mine in Australia and one of the biggest in the world, the group said in a statement.

The annual emissions from burning the coal it produces would be similar to those of the whole of Malaysia or Austria, and more than New York City, 350.org Pacific said.

“With Fiji playing an important role in the process of implementing the Paris Agreement, the support by Australia for the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry is a slap in the face of the vulnerable Pacific Islands.

“If the Australian government has seriously recognised the plight of the Pacific in dealing with climate change and rising sea levels, they must look at its complicity in the problem the Pacific is facing,” 350.org Pacific coordinator Koreti Tiumalu said.

“The most effective move the Australian government could take is to immediately say no to the Carmichael coal mine and urgently take the necessary actions required to move away from fossil fuels and transition to renewable energy.

“As the world’s largest coal producer and one of the biggest per capita climate polluters, Australia has a responsibility to act swiftly on climate.

Call for genuine action
“If Australia wants to be good regional neighbors they must demonstrate genuine action and tackle the causes of climate change, by neither allowing new coal mines nor pushing for the construction of new coal power stations.”

In the lead up to COP23, 350 Pacific and the Pacific Climate Warriors will continue to highlight Australia’s “inaction” on climate change and urge Pacific leaders to rally together and call on Australia to end its fossil fuel expansion.

“Our Pacific leaders must remain vigilant for the future of our Islands – they know what is at stake and have in fact called for a global moratorium on coal mines.

“Fiji’s presidency at COP 23 this year will be a chance for the Pacific to emphasise how Australia’s inaction on climate change speaks louder than words,” Tiumalu said.

350.org media release

The people of the Pacific have been handed a big challenge over the weekend – mobilise for urgent climate change action and “save the world” through their example.

Bill McKibben, founder of the global grassroots climate campaign 350.org, challenged Pacific islanders to fight for the climate change movement at a conference at the University of the South Pacific.

It is ideal for Pacific people to use solar power, fuel efficient cars, ride bicycles, he argues.

But in the end it would not make any difference to the final outcome for the fight for climate change as there are small populations in the Pacific.

“The Pacific is probably going to play a crucial role in helping to build the movement that changes the politics around climate change,” he said.

“You can make big countries like China, United States and Australia to act fast on it. You have a particular job to build this movement.”

The seminar, organised by USP’s environmental studies programme PACE-SD, focused on climate change action.

“We started the 350.org operation almost 8 years ago to build the movement for climate change around the world,” said McKibben.

‘We need a fight’
McKibben has written several books on the environment, including The End of Nature; The Age of Missing Information; Hope, Human and Wild, Oil and Honey.

“I thought long ago that writing books, discussions, and talks could solve this issue, but I was wrong at that time. We need a fight. We have to fight against the fossil fuel industries and against their money and power.”

To fight against the power of these industries, he explained the necessity of a movement.

“It is a systemic structural problem and we have only a few years to solve it. We require a huge political change. We need to find some source of power other than money to fight against [the fossil fuel industry] and the only other source is to build the movement.”

McKibben said this could be an opportunity for the Pacific people to save the world.

“It is a great burden to be in the Pacific right now. You didn’t ask for climate change and you didn’t cause it – yet it’s happening to you.

“But you can turn this burden into a privilege. You can fight together to save the world from this crisis.”

‘Deep emergency’
He talked about how it was known 25 years ago that the world would face the effects of climate change because of the fossil fuel and other industries, but “we didn’t know how fast it would be”.

“We are in the deep climate change emergency. It is much deeper than we thought,” he said.

McKibben believes that it is not a matter of decades – it is only a matter of years now. The world needs to act fast with the fight over climate change.

“Since the Pacific faces the quickest danger than any part of the world, you have more right, more credibility to stand up and push this movement on the fast track.

“We have to make the world understand about the crisis, which is the most difficult job. We have got to figure out the way to make them understand.”

Professor McKibben has already covered many countries, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Russia, United Arab Emirates (UAR) and the US, with the 350.org campaign.

New Zealand approach
This campaign comes up with creative ideas in different countries.

For New Zealand, they took help from the bike mechanics. They went to the people’s garages and helped them to repair their bikes – so they could not find an excuse not to ride their bicycles.

Koreti Tiumalu has worked for the New Zealand government for 10 years. But 4 years ago she quit her job and now is now working with 350.org as the Pacific region coordinator.

“I have heard stories that sometimes I wish I wouldn’t have. It’s not an easy fight. But I can’t just sit there and do nothing.”

Tiumalu believes that young people love their culture and with the help of concerts, music and smart phones, they can become a huge part of this movement.

“We need to get into their music, their sports.”

350.org plans to launch a “Break Free” campaign to target the world’s dangerous fossil fuel projects during May 4-15.

Ami Dhabuwala and Pacific Media Watch contributing editor TJ Aumua are in Fiji on a two-week “Bearing Witness” climate change journalism project with the University of the South Pacific.

• The 350.org website
• 350.org Pacific

Environmentalist Bill McKibben today appealed to New Zealanders to take part in peaceful civil disobedience to overthrow “radicalism”.

The American made the call in a video five days before citizens will participate in a Greenpeace-organised mass demonstration of peaceful civil disobedience at the annual petroleum conference at SkyCity in Auckland.

It will be the first time in New Zealand that Greenpeace has invited the general public to take part in a mass civil disobedience action.

McKibben, who founded global climate change organisation 350.org, recorded the video in support of the action on Monday.

In a personal message to the New Zealanders taking part, McKibben said:

“We thank you in advance for being willing to stand up peacefully and non-violently to the most violent forces on our planet.”

He said New Zealand was one of the most “beautiful places in the world” but now stood as a country that needed to get serious about the climate crisis.

‘Lots of sweet things’
“Everybody went off to Paris [COP21 climate conference]. Everybody said lots of sweet things. Everybody pounded each other on the back about what great people they were,” he said.

“[But] if you come home from Paris and say ‘nothing is changing – we’re still going to mine coal, we’re still going to go drill in the deep blue sea for oil, we’re still going to frack’, then you didn’t get the message.”

On the back of the Paris Climate Conference last December, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said he had no intention of scaling back the search for fossil fuels.

McKibben is encouraging for New Zealanders considering using peaceful civil disobedience as a tactic for change.

“The point that you’re trying to get across I think, most importantly, is there’s nothing radical about what we’re talking about. All we’re talking about is trying to keep a world that works a little bit like the world worked for the last 10,000 years,” he said.

“The radicals [are the] oil companies and the government ministries that aid and abet that…[It’s] our job, with our bodies if need be, to slow down that radicalism…Civil disobedience is a powerful tactic – it needs to be done with a complete commitment to non-violence and peacefulness.”

350.org