Forum chair welcomes Biden’s ‘Blue Pacific’ climate priority for Paris pact

By RNZ Pacific

The chair of the Pacific Islands Forum has welcomed the re-entry of the United States to the Paris agreement over climate change.

Within hours of his taking the oath as the 46th US President, Joe Biden issued an executive order for the US to return to the Paris Agreement.

Forum Chair Kausea Natano, who is Tuvalu’s prime minister, said the US order as a priority was warmly appreciated in the Pacific.

• READ MORE: Biden moves to have US rejoin Paris Accord, halt Arctic leasing

Natano said he looked forward to continued and strengthened relationships between the people of the Pacific and the US, especially on the climate crisis facing the “Blue Pacific”.

He said the international community must use the positive development to inject greater urgency to climate action on the Paris goal of limiting global warming increase to within 1.5-degrees celsius

“The announcement comes at a time when the world is faced with a multitude of hazards including covid-19,” Natano said.

“Our Blue Pacific faces a climate change crisis that threatens our future prosperity and the move by President Biden and his administration to bring the US back to the Paris Agreement is warmly welcomed and appreciated.

“We look forward to working closely with President Biden and his administration, with urgency and shared values for a safe and secure future for our great Blue Planet.”

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