Tuvaluan Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga has responded to America’s withdrawal from agreeing to the Paris climate deal that Pacific island states have been abandoned.
This comes as the Prime Minister and Incoming COP23 President Voreqe Bainimarama released a statement this morning, saying it’s deeply disappointing that the ÚS has quit the 2015 Paris Accord.
Bainimarama says, the decision by the Trump Administration is deeply disappointing, especially for the citizens of vulnerable nations throughout the world and of grave disappointment for millions of people.
Speaking to FBC News, Sopoaga says their withdrawal shouldn’t stop affected island nations from campaigning for climate change.
He says the rest of the countries that have remained committed to the paris agreement must take leadership and ownership to work together.
“It’s a concern to Tuvalu because we thought we were with the USA because they were here during World War 2. We provided our islands as launching pad for them to achieve their objectives and now we are facing the biggest war of our time- they are abandoning us. It’s really an act of abandoning small island countries like Tuvalu.”
Sopoaga adds island nations should continue paddle their own canoe and get everyone else on board.
The Prime Minister was in the country to launch a documentary on linking the islands: Early warning systems in Tuvalu.
He flies out of the country tonight to join other world leaders at the World Oceans Conference next week.
