CLIMATE change has been described as the “greatest threat” facing the tiny island nations dotting the Pacific Ocean to Australia’s east.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And yesterday, 30 “climate warriors” from 12 different Pacific countries travelled to Maules Creek to protest against the region’s coalmining activities.
They claim the emissions from coal extracted by Whitehaven Coal and Idemitsu Australia Resources jeopardise their land, oceans and culture.
George Nacewa, of the Fiji Islands, said the world must end its dependence on polluting fossil fuels before it is too late.
“People all around the world are recognising this and taking action to challenge the power of the fossil fuel industry,” he said.
“For us Pacific Islanders, there is nothing more urgent or necessary.”
Murray Drechsler, from Front Line Action on Coal, said climate change was the “defining challenge of our century” and Maules Creek a global flashpoint.
“The impacts will be felt the world over, not only in the Pacific nations that are literally sinking as the oceans rise, but here in north-west NSW as a changing climate exacerbates the extremes of drought and flood,” he said.