WelCom June/July 2022
Former leaders of Pacific nations have warned that the climate crisis is the biggest threat to the region, not rising military tensions. The Pacific Elders Voice group, which includes former leaders of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Kiribati and Tuvalu, said that ‘the primary security threat to the Pacific is climate change,’ rather than geo-strategic tensions.
The former President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, says Pacific leaders are being ignored due to concerns over China’s influence in the region. He said the issue of climate security is receiving less attention because major powers are interested in ‘their own rivalries’.