Invited to the “Shangri-la Dialogue” security forum, the Minister of Defense of the Fiji Islands made this remarkable statement.
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He calls not to be mistaken in adversary. Guest of the “Shangri-La Dialogue” security forum, the Minister of Defense of the Fiji Islands affirmed on Sunday June 12 that the “climate change” posed the greatest threat to his archipelago than a “conflict”. The forum, which brought together defense ministers from Asia and around the world in Singapore, was dominated by tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan. It came as Beijing vies with Western powers for influence over Pacific island nations.
Fijian Defense Minister Inia Seruiratu preferred to discuss the threat posed by climate change to his country, which is regularly hit by cyclones. “Machine guns, fighter jets, ships…are not our primary security concern”he told the hundreds of delegates attending the event. “The greatest threat to our very existence is (..) devastating man-made climate change. It threatens our hopes and dreams of prosperity”he said.
“We are beset by this enemy from all sides”
“Waves crash at our doorsteps, winds batter our homes, we are beset by this enemy from all sides”, the Minister continued, urging other countries to support Fiji’s efforts to combat climate change. In September, this Pacific archipelago passed a law declaring a climate emergency and mentioning a legal framework for the nation’s response to it.
Other island nations in this region also face threats from climate change. These range from cyclones, which are becoming more regular and powerful, to rising waters. Ahead of the COP26 international climate conference in Glasgow, held in November 2021, Pacific nations, on the front lines of suffering the consequences of global warming, had urged rich, industrialized countries to do more.