Oz Prime Minister Meets With Sinking Island Nations, Refuses To Sign On To Any Climate Goals

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison arrived in Tuvalu on Wednesday as officials at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) started negotiating a communique that many leaders said should include limiting global temperature rises to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and an immediate end to coal mining.

However, Australia will not agree to a communique demanding tougher climate goals, Australia's Minister for the Pacific Alex Hawke said. "Australia's position on coal is we won't have a communique where coal and coal-fired generation, or phasing it out now, is a realistic proposition," Hawke said. Morrison is a firm supporter of the country's coal industry. In June, Australia approved a major new coal mine in the state of Queensland by India's Adani Enterprises that is expected to produce 8-10 million tonnes of thermal coal each year.

In 2016 Australia signed the Paris Agreement that commits signatories to policies that limit temperature increases to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. Morrison has said Australia will meet its climate change commitments.

Before heading to Tuvalu, Morrison announced that Australia will give A$500 million ($339 million) to Pacific island nations for renewable energy projects and help them prepare for the impact of climate change. However, island leaders rebuked Morrison's offer saying giving cash to countries battling climate change was not enough.

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http://news.trust.org/item/20190814082118-p5kqs/