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Amata backs fresh climate talks

Sources: RNZI and media release by Aumua Amata

Congresswoman Aumua Amata says she can understand the disappointment Pacific Islanders feel about the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Pact.

Click here to link to statements by Pacific leaders.

However, she feels that this is an opportunity to come up with a better and more effective agreement.

The congresswoman said she had friends and relatives on many Pacific islands, and she understood the genuine fear the Marshall Islands had for its very existence.

According to the Republican congresswoman, President Donald Trump had made clear that he believed there was global warming and that at least some of it was attributable to human activity but his objection to the Paris accord was a financial one.

Aumua said he did not believe that sending U.S. dollars to an international body was the best way to expend resources.

She said she was pleased that he committed to begin immediate negotiations for terms more favourable to the U.S., so the U.S. could rejoin the agreement.

In a statement issued yesterday she said, “The pledge to work with Republicans and Democrats has been largely played down or overlooked entirely by the press. I will encourage the President to consult with Republicans representing coastal states and territories and I encourage Democrats to respond favorably to his effort in his speech to reach out to them.  For my part, I will work closely with my island colleagues across party lines to make sure our special situation of remoteness from the mainland and high vulnerability to sea-level rise are recognized and addressed in the negotiations.”

The German Chancellor said the Paris agreement could not be renegotiated.