Hey, maybe he’s going to tell all those Pacific islands they have to do away with all their airport and stop importing all those goods on fossil fueled ships? No more tourists coming on fossil fueled airplanes?
Biden tells Pacific islands leaders he’ll act on their warnings about climate change
President Joe Biden on Monday told leaders from the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum that he has heard their warnings about the impact of climate change on their region and that his administration is committed to helping them meet the challenge.
Pacific islands leaders gathered on Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. Many have been critical of rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects.
At the summit’s start, Biden said that his administration is requesting Congress approve $200 million in new assistance for the region, including financing to help the islands prepare for climate and natural hazards and improve infrastructure.
Not that I think they should get this money, but, Biden wants tens of billions for Ukraine, and just $200K for 18 islands?
“I want you to know I hear you, the people in the United States and around the world hear you,” Biden told the leaders. “We hear your warnings of a rising sea and (that) they pose an existential threat to your nations. We hear your calls for reassurance that you never, never, never will lose your statehood, or membership of the U.N. as a result of a climate crisis. Today, the United States is making it clear that this is our position as well.”
As part of the summit, the U.S. is formally establishing diplomatic relations with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Later Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will take part in signing ceremonies with Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi and with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown to mark the new elevated relations.
Well, there’s no real current measurement for the Cook Islands, but, the sea had been rising just .78 feet per hundred feet as measured from 1977-2018. Most of the islands in the region, other than Fiji, are seeing similar sea rise. So, lower than expected during a Holocene warm period.
Blinken is also set to take part in an event with Kiribati President Taneti Maamau later Monday as the island country was set to sign on to a new partnership with the U.S.-backed Millennium Corporation Challenge. The group has previously assisted the country with dozens of low-lying atolls and 120,000 people to boost its workforce.
Some of the leaders attended an NFL game in Baltimore on Sunday and visited a U.S. Coast Guard cutter in the city’s harbor for a briefing on combating illegal fishing and other maritime issues. Biden announced Monday that later this year he would deploy a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region to collaborate and train with Pacific islands nations.
Whoa, wait a second: they were having the forum in the United States? Why, yes, yes they are. In other words, they all took a really, really long fossil fueled flight (it takes almost 13 hours from the Cook Islands). How many flew private? And then all the fossil fueled limos. They couldn’t do this somewhere within the area of the islands?
This could throw Robert Stacy McCain’s plans of being appointed Ambassador to Vanuatu in turmoil.
The Chinese have lots of recent experience and the right equipment to dredge up sand and rebuild the surf lines of those islands. I hear they work cheap too.