Pacific islands are parrotting China's line that the West is mainly responsible for the current CO2. Perhaps it's a payback accusation for letting Covid escape. China now wants US$1 trillion in compensation for the historical CO2 yet half of it is supposed to date from 1990 mainly from China.

As far as I'm aware the islands did not develop cars, computers or vaccines from which they greatly benefit. On cars it was PNG not Australia that bought the unsold fleet of Maseratis. The islanders are ungrateful for no strings attached Australian aid all the while falling into the Chinese debt trap.

I wonder when the islands' leader will say, oh we do not need all that
money now because the sea is not rising. look up oink oink !

Maybe? But that's because we're led by, I believe, incompetent complacent fools unable or unwilling to contemplate life without coal!

And for all the same reasons, I believe, unable to contemplate, cheaper than coal, SAFE, clean thorium fired, carbon-free, virtually nuclear waste-free, nuclear power! And consequently, power prices as low as 1 cent PKWH!

We could have gone to Glasgow with a plan in hand to get to net zero in around a decade and with a model that would put our economy, turbocharged and on a growth path on steroids!

That same model could be offered to island nations along with locally mass-produced (gifted) thorium powered SMR's. That end all reliance on diesel generators.

It can't be done tomorrow, but it can be done progressively in around a decade? As our retasked aid program?
Alan B.

The cheapest & most fragile friendship & loyalty is that bought for a few dollars.

A few dollars at the right time will shatter any friendship so bought. Lets save our money now, so we have more to shatter anything China buys now, if or when it becomes necessary.

The most useless, & most indefensible position is an island. We saw that in WW11 when the US took Jap held islands at will, & left hundreds of thousands of garrison troops isolated on their bypassed islands.

This is even more so today, when just a couple of missiles can leave an entire island useless to it's defenders.

Give the Chinese 15 years or so in tactical possession of the islands, & the people of those islands will hate the Chinese before we get our new subs, if we ever do.

Speaking to Fijians on my trip 2018 at a resort, I think they already don't like the Chinese.

But money talks.

Hopefully Pacific Islanders, and others, wake up sooner rather than later.

Hopefully Pacific Islanders, and others, wake up sooner rather than later
Chris Lewis,
If they do they'll be ahead of Australia !

Hasbeen. I believe that you are correct old mate. China's human rights record speaks for itself. And is sure to be echoed in islands that will sell their souls and the birthright of generations yet unborn for a few pennies or some short term gratification? Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Alan B.

It's not climate change stupid! It's the economy stupid! And the best economy we can have is not one where we are welded or wedded to coal!

But one welded to MSR thorium! Ok, that may hurt a few foreign investors, so what, we had no trouble telling France GFY over a 90 billion dollar sub contract! And therefore shouldn't be too bothered telling Mr Peabody Sorry but we're done with coal and or gas!

Simply put, it is of little interest to me that nuclear power is also carbon-free! And that MSR technology can be used very, very safely to burn and burn again and again as unspent fuel we could be paid to handle/store! And use the annual millions we'd be paid to set up mass factory-built, production Of SMRs MSR.

Then roll them out in private enterprise business practises that are community co-ops with their hands up or local councils who run them in not for profit paradigms where their income stream comes from the sale of all manner of locally made, electric whitegoods, heaters and airconditioning etc-etc. And finance plans for all the foregoing. The latter option is where all the maximised profits are made!

And as history records, demonstrable in examples I can also demonstrate as credible and undeniable evidence in Tamworth and Banana shire councils that used their brains for their constituents and the national interest!

And the devil take whatever party they may have been aligned with! Or shyster backroom power brokers!

Who gives a french flying frankfurt if CHEAPER THAN COAL, SAFER THAN COAL AND WITH FEWER ROUGE EMISSIONS THAN COAL, nuclear power as envisioned is also carbon-free! If it can be used as a cheaper than coal, power source!? 1 CENT PKWH!

And we could be rolling out a mass-produced, factory-built, preferred model, with all the claimed bugs thoroughly ironed out, in around 12 short months, if our leaders and their rules/bans just got out of our way

To reiterate, it was always, always the economy stupid! And nothing else ever, stupid!
Alan B.

Alan could we really build them that quick ?
Rolls Royce is building three for the UK to be delivered in 2030 !