World leaders must commit to ensuring that the youths of Oceania will enjoy a future free of the fear and devastation of climate change.
This was the message from former Pacific island country leaders to the Glasgow climate change Conference of Parties (COP26).
The statement was from Hilda Heine — former president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Thomas “Tommy” Remengesau — former president of Palau, Anote Tong — former president of the Republic of Kiribati, Enele Sopoaga — former prime minister of Tuvalu, Dame Meg Taylor — former secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum and Robert Underwood — former member of US Congress and president of the University of Guam.
The former leaders who issued the statement as “Pacific Elders’ Voice for the Glasgow Climate Change COP” said they were “deeply worried about our planet’s survival, and deeply concerned by the recent warnings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.”
They called on the G20 to “commit to a new Marshall Plan for climate change action that will rapidly decarbonise the global economy and provide the necessary financial support to those most affected by the impacts of climate change” and “to commit to the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, or sooner”.
