Kids’ plea to Ardern
Children highlight climate focus as Ardern arrives
Within moments of touching down in Tuvalu for the Pacific Islands Forum, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was issued a challenge by a group of Tuvaluan children.
“Save Tuvalu, save the world.” These were the lyrics the children sang as the Prime Minister got off the plane and was welcomed in the nation’s capital, Funafuti.
Many of the children were sitting in water when they came face-to-face with Ardern.
Tuvalu’s highest point is just 4m above sea level and is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries when it comes to rising sea levels.
The children’s message was clear: Do more on climate change to help Pacific islands.
Speaking to media not long after arriving, Ardern was not shying away from the children’s challenge.
“I have every expectation that this Pacific Island Forum will be dominated by the issue of climate change.”
She said it was right the conversation be dominated by the
voices of young people, because they were the generations leaders needed to act on behalf of and Tuvalu was sending a strong message by putting young people front and centre.
“The issue of climate change falls upon the shoulders of the next generation and children — I can see why Tuvalu would want to impart that message strongly and [want to] have the children share that message themselves.”
Ardern touched down in the small island nation of Tuvalu yesterday and will be on the ground until Friday.
She has bilateral meetings with a number of Pacific Island leaders, such as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
Climate change is an issue that is set to dominate the annual forum this year and already there has been discussion about the phasing out of coal in Pacific Island countries.
Some members of the forum are calling for an end to coal mining altogether.
Days before Ardern’s arrival, Morrison’s announcement that Australia would be providing $500 million in climate change funding for the Pacific appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“No matter how much money you put on the table, it doesn’t give you the excuse to not to do the right thing, which is to cut down on your emissions, including not opening your coalmines,” Enele Sopoaga, Tuvalu’s Prime Minister and Pacific Island Forum chairman said earlier in the week. “That is the thing that we want to see.”
Asked about this by media, Ardern was reluctant to comment on the Australian issue.
“Issues around Australia’s domestic policy are issues for Australia.”
But she said New Zealand, the second largest nation at the forum, was doing its part. She cited work to phase New Zealand into 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2035.
But there was more work that needed to be done, including passing the Zero Carbon Bill and moving to get agriculture into the emissions trading scheme.
“But in every single significant, difficult area we have started those conversations and said ‘under this Government, we know things need to change’, because this region knows things need to change.”