Islanders call on Abbott and Bishop to visit low lying Pacific nations

MEDIA RELEASE
Sydney, Thursday, 3rd Oct 2013
Islanders call on Abbott and Bishop to visit low lying Pacific nations
Australian Islander Community seeks stronger climate action in line with latest IPCC Report.

"The very worst fears of Pacific Island Communities in Australia have been confirmed in the latest IPCC report published last week," said Pacific Calling Partnership spokesperson Maria Tiimon Chi-fang speaking at a community gathering following the release of the fifth assessment report (AR5) of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

"We would like to see Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visit the Pacific’s low-lying island nations during the term of this Parliament," affirmed Ms Tiimon Chi-fang, an I-Kiribati woman living in Sydney whose life was featured in the award-winning SBS documentary The Hungry Tide.

"Meeting the I-Kiribati may bring them to re-evaluate the Government’s reduction commitments to bring them in line with the climate science."

"Australia’s commitment to reduce our emissions by 5% below 2000 levels by 2020, is by no means an adequate response to the evidence," emphasised Ms Tiimon Chi-fang, who is community outreach officer for the Pacific Calling Partnership. "Nor is it appropriate or sufficient given Australia’s support for the Majuro Declaration on Climate Leadership, launched in September at the 2013 Pacific Island Forum."

"Pacific Islanders increasingly feel that a mere 5% reduction in Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions puts the future of their islands at risk. They feel insecure about their futures, and are disappointed at the clear contradiction between the Government’s support for the Majuro Declaration, and their lack of effective climate change policy."

"I urge Prime Minister Abbott to reconfirm his support for the Majuro Declaration, and substantially reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions,' she said.

"Australia has a moral responsibility in two parts. First to Pacific Island neighbours who - whilst having not contributed to the problem, will suffer most from its effects. Secondly, there is also a responsibility to Australian children and grandchildren, who will inherit the effects of our lack of action."

"I call on our Australian Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister to visit my home country," Ms Tiimon Chi-fang, now an Australian citizen, said. "Not until they can see the human face of climate change will they fully understand the consequences of their inaction for my people. Cutting $4.5 billion from the overseas aid budget, as well as cutting out key climate change policy infrastructure in Australia, makes me question the Australian Government’s commitment to the survival of our Pacific Island nations.”

IPCC Assessment Report 5 ("AR5")

In AR5 a total of 209 lead authors and 50 Review Editors from 39 countries have presented evidence that: "the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and nitrous oxide have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years".

These unprecedented levels of … "greenhouse gases contributed [to] a global mean surface warming in the range of 0.5°C to 1.3°C over the period 1951−2010", and higher projections for sea level rise, the range for which is now projected at 26 to 82 cm, up from the 18 to 59 cm in the 2007 report.

The report concludes that: "continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions."


http://www.ipcc.ch/meetings/session36/p36_doc3_approved_spm.pdf


For interview or comment contact:-

Jill Finnane: 0409-640-366 or Sean Cleary: 0403-434-512

Publishable PCP images for usage related to this release are available at:
- www.erc.org.au/pcp/media
- some video also viewable: www.youtube.com/pacificcalling

Pacific Calling Partnership - www.erc.org.au/pcp
Since 2006 the ERC initiative Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP), has worked to promote knowledge of and action with the people of the low-lying Pacific Island communities most threatened by the effects of climate change. PCP delegations, with representation from Australia & from affected low-lying Pacific Island communities, have participated in UN Climate summits: COP13 Bali; COP15 Copenhagen; COP16 Cancun; COP17 Durban & COP18 Doha.



--
Sean Cleary, Education Officer, Edmund Rice Centre
15 Henley Rd(PO Box 2219) Homebush West, NSW 2140
Ph 1: (02) 8090 1976 -- Ph 2: (07) 3103 7376 -- Fx: (02) 8762 4220
E: seanc@erc.org.au -- W: www.erc.org.au