At the closing of the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva on Thursday, the leaders emerged on time and smiling from their day-long leaders’ retreat, before cutting a cake with a ceremonial sword and posing for a selfie when Albanese pulled out his phone. The retreat was the last and most important event of the forum, the most important diplomatic meeting in the region. This is the first time Pacific leaders have been able to meet in person since they gathered in Tuvalu in 2019. A source present at the retreat said it was “the most cordial and friendly PIF I have ever attended” and that the discussions between the leaders “never felt even slightly confrontational”. That was in contrast to the 2019 meeting, in which the retreat lasted nearly 12 hours, collapsed twice and left one Pacific leader in tears over Australia’s efforts to water down the language on climate change. Albanese drew a comparison with the last forum, held when Scott Morrison was prime minister, and said this year’s event represented a “success” for Australia. “I note that previously this meeting would go on for many hours and I have been told that one of the reasons for this is because of the change in Australia’s position,” he said. “In announcing that we dealt with it pretty quickly today … That represents success.” Climate change was central to the communique, with leaders reiterating that it “remains the single greatest existential threat facing the Pacific Blue” and declaring a “climate emergency”. Anthony Albanese takes a selfie with other leaders during the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva. Photo: William West/AFP/Getty Images Australia was also singled out in the document, as Pacific leaders said they “welcomed and fully supported Australia’s renewed commitment to the Forum’s climate change priorities [and] also welcomed Australia’s interest in hosting a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Conference of the Parties in partnership with Pacific Island countries.” One thing absent from the communiqué was any mention of coal power. Pacific nations have argued for years that any chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius meant a rapid transition away from coal power and no new coal projects. After the retreat, Albanese was asked what justification he would offer Pacific nations for keeping new coal and gas projects on the table, which he declined to answer, saying it was hypothetical since it was not something his countries had raised with him. Pacific. “I wasn’t asked about that,” he said. “Not one person asked such questions today in the meeting, nor was it asked in any of the meetings I had.” Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama told reporters his country’s “issue” from Australia was to end its “addiction to fossil fuels, including coal”. “In every meeting and discussion I have had this week, I have been clear and consistent in our demands for more ambitious climate commitments. We simply cannot settle for anything less than the survival of every Pacific Island country,” he said. “Most urgently, it requires ending our addiction to fossil fuels, including coal. This is our request from Australia. This is our demand from New Zealand, the US, India, the European Union, China and every other high-emitting country.” Albanese also defended his government’s target of cutting greenhouse emissions by 43%, which a former Pacific leader has condemned as “not enough”. “The truth is that we went into the election campaign with an ambitious but achievable target of 43% by 2030, with a fully costed plan,” Albanese said. “And if you ask someone, ‘do you want a bigger number?’ In the absence of how to get there, then of course people concerned about climate change would want action taken as soon as possible. But what you have to do is have a real plan with a real timeline.” Dr Wesley Morgan, senior researcher at the Climate Council, and an expert on Pacific climate diplomacy, said that while Pacific leaders had welcomed the new ambition from Australia on climate action, “the elephant in this communiqué is that even with improved targets, Australia is still not in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees.” “As a member of the Pacific family – which also happens to be its biggest polluter – Australia should do more. That means deeper cuts in emissions this decade and an end to both the approval and funding of new fossil fuel projects.” Bainimarama also discussed the issue of Kiribati’s withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum, which is hanging over the event, revealing that he had spoken to Kiribati’s president Taneti Maamau on the phone during the withdrawal. Bainimarama said he was committed to working with Kiribati to find a solution to the impasse and that the forum “will spare no effort in this matter”.
