Facing climate calamity, Vanuatu takes on big polluters at COP28

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“We don’t have the financial capacity to build resilience and to respond to these constant disasters, which makes us continually disaster-prone

Building resilience, such as strengthening roads, homes and key buildings including schools and hospitals, would mean “we don’t have to continually just be building back every few months after every disaster hits us”

In 2015, maximum category 5 Cyclone Pam caused widespread damage. “It cost us 64 per cent of our GDP (gross domestic product).”

Vanuatu historically has been responsible for 0.00016 per cent of global emissions. And yet we are a country most at risk and experiencing right now loss and damage at a much higher rate than we expected

One easy source for Vanuatu would be the tens of billions of dollars neighbouring Australia spends subsidising its fossil fuel industry. Australia is the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter...“Just take the subsidies that you currently give your fossil fuel industry and move them to help us build our resilience in the Pacific.”

Qns: 

1. ‘Fossil fuels should no longer have a part in the production of energy.’ Discuss. (Cam. 2023)

2. Assess the view that attempts to control climate change can never be truly effective. (Cam. 2017)

3. How far do you agree that developed countries should bear greater responsibilities for the climate crisis?