China and Oil Shocks Push Climate Down Pacific Islands’ Agenda

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomePMN BusinessChina and Oil Shocks Push Climate Down Pacific Islands' AgendaFor years, the Pacific islands managed something remarkable — some of the smallest nations in the world persuaded their larger, more powerful allies that climate change was the region’s defining security challenge and pushed them to act.Author of the article: You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.(Bloomberg) — For years, the Pacific islands managed something remarkable — some of the smallest nations in the world persuaded their larger, more powerful allies that climate change was the region’s defining security challenge and pushed them to act.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountNow, that hard-won focus is being tested as strategic competition with China and the impact of the Iran war on fuel supplies increasingly dominate the region’s diplomatic agenda.At the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Fiji last week, China’s ballistic missile test in the Pacific last month and the Middle East conflict were the issues at the forefront of discussions. Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko said on the sidelines of the meeting that climate change was no longer the region’s priority.“In this situation we’re now facing with war all around the world, of course, it takes more priority than climate change,” he said. “Climate change has been put on the outer, really, at this point of time when we’re more interested in what oil we can get and how much we can get of it.”Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAnna Powles, an associate professor at Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies in New Zealand’s capital Wellington, said many Pacific leaders and organizations are concerned that geopolitical competition is overshadowing Pacific priorities, namely climate change.“There’s a frustration that clearly identified Pacific priorities, like climate change, are not getting the same level of attention that strategic competition is getting,” she said.Melanie Pill, honorary senior lecturer at the Australian National University and the founder of independent consultancy the Climate Project, said China’s missile test had been designed to intimidate and undermine the Pacific. “It definitely distracts from the single most defining issue for the Pacific and for the whole world,” she said. “I don’t think it sets back the importance of addressing the impact of climate change in the Pacific, but it might not progress at the same pace.”China’s growing influence in the Pacific has spurred an unprecedented diplomatic response.Australia is forging a number of treaties and agreements with Pacific nations in an attempt to shore up its influence and block Chinese advances. Canberra sealed a cooperation deal with Vanuatu in June, signed a new security pact with Fiji and has inked security and policing agreements with Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. New Zealand last year paused development funding to the Cook Islands after the tiny South Pacific nation signed agreements with China without the expected level of consultation. Their relationship has since thawed, with the two countries signing a defense and security declaration in April.Powles said Pacific governments are trying to extract the benefits of closer ties with larger powers.“These agreements do provide benefits such as increased maritime surveillance, funding to combat organized crime and stronger bilateral relationships,” she said. While Pacific countries do try to use these negotiations to advance their own priorities, the imbalance in power limits how much leverage they have on matters such as climate change, Powles added.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.The shift in focus to geopolitical issues comes after the island nations have spent more than three decades pushing the threat of global warming and climate resilience, arguing that rising sea levels and changing weather patterns are an existential threat to their low-lying lands.The prolonged push had been paying off. Australia will lead negotiations at the annual United Nations climate change conference — known as COP and being hosted this year in Turkey — and has pledged to focus attention on the region’s challenges. Fiji will also hold a pre-COP meeting in October, with a related event taking place in the tiny nation of Tuvalu — both are aimed at giving decision makers a first-hand experience of climate impacts in the Pacific.Australia also struck a landmark agreement with Tuvalu offering a migration pathway for 280 people a year as sea levels rise and, alongside New Zealand and other nations, has also provided billions in climate finance.Last year, Vanuatu, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the fallout from climate change, won a landmark legal battle at the International Court of Justice, which ruled that countries have a responsibility to do what they can to limit global warming to the critical threshold of 1.5C, saying that failure to do so may violate international law. The pre-COP and COP meetings were vital for giving the Pacific a global voice, Pill said.Still, there is concern the pre-COP meetings — particularly the meeting in Tuvalu — will fail to attract the world leaders hoped for because of the nation’s geographical isolation.Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, said last week that Tuvalu is the least visited in the world because it was so difficult to reach, but he was still confident the Pacific’s climate change issue would be given global prominence.“I’ve stood at the most narrow point of Tuvalu and seen the impact of rising seas,” he said. “The very existence of these countries is at stake.”“If we can bring an element of the COP process to the Pacific and to Tuvalu, with some element of senior representation, which we’ll then use to highlight the issues of low-lying atoll countries like Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands and others, to the world’s stage, that’s a good thing,” Bowen said.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.