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Pro-Tuvalu demonstration, Copenhagen. Credit: Greenpeace Finland

By Rich Bowden:

Tuvalu Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia has refused to put his name to the non-binding Copenhagen climate accord agreed at key climate discussions held in the Danish capital last week. Pacific States have described the political agreement, which would aim to restrict global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, as inadequate.

Tuvalu and other Pacific States have fought for no more than 1.5 degree rise and were vocal in the course of the key climate discussions in their support for the lower target. The prime minister said he would not sign the document, saying anything less than his delegation’s stated position would mean climate catastrophe for the smaller Pacific States.

He described the need to stick to the 1.5 degree target due to his country’s vulnerability to rising sea levels.

“We have nowhere to run to because our islands are tiny, we just have to prepare ourselves individually, family wise so that they know what to do when a cyclone comes in or a hurricane blows because there is nothing else we can do,” news outlet TuvaluIslands.com reported Ielemia as saying.

“There is no mountain we can climb up, there is no other inland where we can run to like in your big countries,” he continued.

The prime minister was also critical of the way developed nations had attempted to influence smaller nations for their support and has accused the United Nations of improperly conducting the climate conference.

He said his country’s delegation had had “grave concerns” of the direction of the meeting with “legitimate process…ignored,” and views decided in the background by an elite group of countries.

The prime minister said the UN had failed to control the proceedings correctly.

“We came to this meeting expecting an open and transparent process, unfortunately this has not been happening,” according to a report by Radio Australia.

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