The Pacific celebrates a historic ruling on climate change
Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr says that the "third country nationals" that would be transferred to Palau under a draft proposal are asylum seekers.
The Port Moresby Nature Park successfully bred in captivity PNG's national bird the Raggiana Bird of Paradise.
Auckland University academic secures $487,000 Pacific health postdoctoral fellowship to figure out how to tackle rheumatic fever.
The Pasifika Film Fest and Doc Society has announced eight projects from across the region that have been selected for the inaugural. 'Climate Story Lab Pacific', which will be held in Fiji next month.
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
UN climate chief urges Australia to 'go big' on 2035 emissions target
One of the world's top climate diplomats has urged the federal government to commit to an ambitious 2035 target to cut carbon emissions, saying Australia can reap "colossal" economic rewards if it embraces clean energy. The federal government is due to unveil its 2035 target by September this year, while the Coalition continues to be consumed by a furious internal debate on whether it should maintain its commitment to net zero by 2050. The Climate Change Authority is preparing advice on a 2035 target between 65 and 75 per cent, which will inform the target the government will submit to the UN's climate agency. UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell, who presides over the agency responsible for managing the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, is visiting Sydney and Canberra this week as he presses countries across the globe to ramp up their climate ambitions. Mr Stiell called the new climate target a "defining moment" for Australia, and said the government had "one shot to build a blueprint that protects Aussie workers and businesses by preparing them for a fast-changing global economy". Mr Stiell used a speech to a group of investors and clean energy representatives in Sydney to warn "unchecked climate change" would be an "economic wrecking ball" for the Australian and global economy, and that action was imperative. Mr Stiell said climate disasters were "already costing Australian homeowners $4 billion a year" and that unchecked climate change would "cripple Australia's food production" and drain trillions from national GDP by 2050. "You know half measures will destroy property and infrastructure, hammer households, bankrupt regions, and punch holes in public budgets," he said. "And you know that real action opens the door to real leadership and big rewards for this ambitious, capable country." Standing alongside Mr Stiell, the Climate Change Authority's (CCA) chair Matt Kean said the stakes "couldn't be higher" for Australia, but that pursuing net zero emissions also presented an opportunity for the sun-rich and mineral-rich nation. "'Shine, baby, shine' and 'store baby store' should carry an Australian trademark and be hollered from our rooftops — perhaps with an Aussie accent," Mr Kean said in a reference to United States President Donald Trump's "drill, baby, drill" remark. The CCA boss also said that, ahead of the next international climate conference, "maximum ambition should be the catch-cry". The United States has slashed clean energy subsidies and pulled out of the Paris Agreement under Mr Trump. However, Mr Stiell said investment in renewables in countries like India and China was "off the chart" and "trillions of dollars are shifting" globally. Mr Stiell said a "bog standard" 2035 target would be "beneath" Australia, and that government and business had the capacity to deliver transformational change. "This is the moment to get behind a climate plan that doesn't just write that vision into policy — but delivers in spades for your people," he said. "So don't settle for what's easy. Bog standard is beneath you. Go for what's smart by going big. "Go for what will build lasting wealth and national security. Go for what will change the game and stand the test of time."
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Pauline Hanson calls on Coalition to back urgency motion on net zero
One Nation senator Pauline Hanson is seizing on division in the Coalition to push through an urgency motion calling for Australia to abandon its net zero target. Senator Hanson, a long-time climate change denier, will introduce the motion on Monday following Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce's private members bill calling for the same thing. Aware of the divide in the Coalition, Senator Hanson said her motion would out opposition 'cowards'. 'They're gutless, you know, they're cowards,' she told Sky News when asked about the prospect of Coalition senators not backing her motion. 'Because a lot of these people on the floor of parliament have no understanding, cannot debate you about climate change. 'They don't even know anything about it. 'They're making decisions and voting on it.' 'Scam' She went on to say Australians have 'been hoodwinked'. 'It's a scam going on and if we head down this path, what will happen to Australians?' Senator Hanson said. 'You will be restricted where you travel, where you go, what you eat, and it will be based on your carbon emissions.' Australia's renewables targets do not impose restrictions on freedom of movement or diets. Earlier, Mr Joyce asked Australia's big-city residents if they are 'prepared to hurt the poor' by pursuing a carbon neutral future. Mr Joyce, who was banished to the backbench after the Coalition's brief post-election break-up, kicked off the second sitting week of the new parliament by introducing his Repeal Net Zero Bill. Unless Sussan Ley drastically changes course in rebuilding the Coalition as a moderate opposition, the private member's bill will not get far. But as a former Nationals leader, Mr Joyce holds clout within the party and his split from more green-minded Liberal Party colleagues has grown into somewhat of a backbench rebellion. Mr Joyce said on Monday there needed to be more give and take between city-living Australians and their rural and regional counterparts, saying there 'are certain things' the regions could do but do not 'because we're trying to be reasonable'. 'There's absolutely no reason that Mascot Airport can't work 24/7,' he told reporters, flanked by fellow Coalition rebels and disgruntled community members. 'But we understand that people don't want planes flying over themselves in the middle of the night … but we don't want transmission lines over our head either. 'We don't want wind towers either, so there's got to be a form of good pro quo.' Mr Joyce said the question 'affluent suburbs' needed to be asked was: 'Are you prepared to hurt the poor?' 'Are you prepared to hurt them and I don't think if you really explain the issue that people do want to hurt them,' he said. 'You don't feel virtuous if you're hurting people.' Mr Joyce's Bill proposes to abandon Australia's carbon-neutral target by 2050. The target is in line with goals set by other developed economies, but the task has been complicated by rapid energy demands from emerging economies and global disruptions driven by increased conflicts, such as Russia's war in Ukraine. Among Mr Joyce's supporters gathered outside Parliament House was fellow former Nationals leader Michael McCormack, another hefty voice in the party. Liberal MP Garth Hamilton also joined him, making him the only member of the senior Coalition partner to do so.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Taiwan opposition parliamentarians survive major recall election
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited China recently, there were questions about what role Australia would play if China and the US went to war over Taiwan. The island's defence capabilities have also been front-of-mind for some Taiwanese people and parliamentarians during a domestic political stoush that came to a head on Saturday. For several months now, civil society groups in Taiwan have been campaigning to unseat 24 parliamentarians they considered to be too pro-China. But their efforts to expel the politicians, using a recall motion, have failed. So, what does that mean for Taiwan? Taiwan, a democratic self-governing island of 23 million people, has a political system that allows voters to remove their elected representatives before the end of their term through a legal process known as a recall. But recalls are rare, and had never been used on this scale before. Grassroots organisations behind this unprecedented mass recall campaign wanted to unseat opposition party parliamentarians they viewed as pro-Beijing. The campaigners believed these parliamentarians had been using their majority to block the democratically aligned Taiwan president's agenda, impacting government budgets and crucially, defence programs, which consequently created risks for Taiwan's security. "The opposition lawmakers have paralysed the government's ability to start the process of enhancing defence reforms and capabilities that Taiwan desperately needs in order to deter China from continuing to enhance military pressure on Taiwan," said William Yang, International Crisis Group's senior analyst for North-East Asia. The opposition parliamentarians had denied these accusations. Beijing has repeatedly insisted that Taiwan will one day become a part of China, refusing to rule out the use of force to achieve that. US intelligence suggests China's President Xi Jinping wants his military ready for a potential invasion by 2027. All recall votes against the 24 opposition party members from the Kuomintang (KMT) were rejected, according to Taiwan's Central Election Commission. It means the current makeup of Taiwan's parliament will remain the same. "The result shows the majority of the Taiwanese people still prefer the outcome from the Taiwanese election delivered in 2024," explained Mr Yang. The opposition party will continue to have a majority in the legislature, and the ruling party, President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will continue to control the executive branch of government. Mr Yang described the results as a "double-edged sword". "On the one hand, the opposition party could feel that they have the momentum behind them, so they will try to make a way to push the government to provide more leverage and concessions," he said. "But at the same time, the opposition could also feel the heat in the way that they will be more cautious when it comes to blocking or stopping the government's agenda so that they won't face similar recall measures in the future." KMT chairman Eric Chu thanked Taiwan's voters and called for President Lai to apologise and reflect on his governance. "One should not lose the elections and then call for malicious recalls. One should not seek one-party dominance and destroy democracy," he told a press briefing in Taipei. "Most importantly, the people of Taiwan chose stability and chose a government that gets things done, rather than political infighting." Wu Szu-yao, secretary general of the DPP's legislative caucus, said the party respected the voters' decision with pleasure, adding the result would only strengthen the DPP's "anti-communist and pro-Taiwan" stance. "This time we saw China was trying everything it could to intervene," she told reporters at party headquarters in Taipei, pointing to Chinese military pressure and a disinformation campaign. "We must be more vigilant against their possible malicious intentions toward Taiwan." The groups seeking the recalls said theirs was an "anti-communist" movement, accusing the KMT of selling out Taiwan by sending lawmakers to China, not supporting defence spending and bringing chaos to parliament. Voters like Mr Hsu told the ABC the recall campaign had created a divided society, and political polarisation in Taiwan had become "extreme." He hoped for a return to normalcy after the recall vote result. "I hope everyone on this island can live happily, with a thriving economy, instead of being caught up in constant infighting." Jennifer Chang said she hoped that both sides of the political spectrum could find some common ground. "I think everyone should speak out and listen more," she said. Ms Liang, 60, believed people in Taiwan were tolerant. "They're open to different opinions and treat each other with respect. That's something I really value about Taiwan." Reuters
