Uturn welcomed by Pacific forum head

AUCKLAND: The chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum has welcomed the reentry of the United States to the Paris climate agreement.

With hours of his taking the oath as the 46th US President, Joe Biden issued an executive order for the US to return to the Paris Agreement.

Forum chairman Kausea Natano, who is Tuvalu's prime minister, said the US order was warmly appreciated in the Pacific

Natano said he looked forward to continued and strengthened relationships between the people of the Pacific and the US, especially on the climate crisis facing the ‘‘Blue Pacific’'.

He said the international community must use the positive development to inject greater urgency to climate action on the Paris goal of limiting global warming increase to within 1.5degC.

‘‘We look forward to working closely with President Biden and his administration, with urgency and shared values for a safe and secure future for our great Blue Planet,’’ Natano said — RNZ