Climate-threatened Pacific Islands criticize Australia at Commonwealth meeting

APIA, Samoa (AP) — Several Pacific island nations singled out Australia to do more to phase out fossil fuel exports during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which opened in Samoa on Thursday. Tuvalu’s Prime Minister, Feleti Teo, alongside senior officials from Vanuatu and Fiji, backed a new report from the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, which said that fossil fuels extracted in Australia, Canada and the U.K. were responsible for 60% of emissions generated by such extraction across Commonwealth countries since 1990, despite representing only 6% of the Commonwealth’s population. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia is transitioning its economy to net zero emissions, but cannot be held responsible for emissions from coal and gas exported to other countries.