Pacific nations say Australia must end new fossil fuel projects

This week, one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters went to a meeting of island states strongly affected by human-induced climate change.

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Or, in more conventional language, Australian leaders attended the annual Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga.

Since 1971, this forum has been the top diplomatic meeting for Pacific nations, including Australia and New Zealand. Security was on the agenda this year, against a backdrop of geopolitical manoeuvring and unrest in New Caledonia. But one issue made its presence felt above all else: climate change.

At the forum's opening, United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres made that clear: There is an enormous injustice in relation to the Pacific and it's the reason I am here [...] The small islands don't contribute to climate change but everything that happens because of climate change is multiplied here.