Photograph: The Australia Institute
The president of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has urged the Australian government to support a moratorium on new coalmines before the global climate summit in Paris in December.
Tong, who was in Melbourne for a public meeting hosted by the Australia Institute on Thursday, said it was the “easiest, most reasonable” measure world leaders could commit to to reduce emissions.
“It’s a sensible step that makes not just environmental sense, but complete economic sense,” Tong said.
The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said last month that a moratorium on Australian coal exports “would make not the blindest bit of difference to global emissions” because importers would simply buy it from elsewhere.
But Tong said some countries’ reliance on coal did not mean mines needed to be built.
“There are countries in the north and south who cannot survive without the use of coal,” Tong said.
“I understand that. But if the global community is genuinely committed to reducing the impacts of climate change … coal is undoubtedly the worst of the fossil fuels.
“Let’s begin somewhere. I thought perhaps this was the most reasonable way to begin.”
He described the Australian government’s support of Adani’s proposed $16bn Carmichael mine in Queensland as “disturbing”.
Tong said the impact of climate change was already harming the Pacific islands, where sea levels were rising, forcing communities to move and threatening societies and livelihoods.
Last month 61 prominent Australians signed an open letter supporting Tong’s push for a global moratorium on new coalmines, including the nobel laureate Prof Peter Doherty, a former Australian of the year, Prof Fiona Stanley, and Wallaby David Pocock.
