US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement is a selfish move that ignores the plight of low-lying island nations, Pacific leaders say.
Key points:
- Former Kiribati leader Anote Tong said Mr Trump is becoming a ‘bully’
- Mr Tong was one of the main Pacific voices negotiating the deal
- Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama says he thinks the US will re-join
However they hope the fight against climate change will continue without American leadership.
Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati and one of the prominent Pacific voices during the Paris agreement negotiations, said while he was not surprised by Mr Trump’s decision to withdraw, it was still deeply disappointing.
“There was a lot of hope and expectation that he would change his view,” Mr Tong told Pacific Beat.
“The withdrawal I think has huge repercussions for something that’s taken quite a long time to put together.”
He likened the withdrawal to the actions of a selfish bully.
“It’s pretty selfish, I think there’s no other way to explain that,” Mr Tong said.
“In any classroom, there’s always the bully, but hopefully there will always be somebody who will stand up against the bully.”
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