Countries Pursuing Oil and Gas ‘Signing Away Our Future,’ UN Secretary General Tells Pacific Islands Forum

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga with a speech that accused governments that issued new oil and gas licences of “signing away our future.” Several low-lying Pacific nations are at risk from rising sea levels, so the message has particular resonance at this event, which is being held in Tonga’s capital of Nuku’alofa. The Pacific Islands Forum is a regional grouping that includes Australia, New Zealand, and 16 Pacific states. The Australian federal government recently announced it would permit new gas exploration off the coast of Victoria and Tasmania to increase the country’s supply. This move would see the retention of fossil fuels well past 2050....