Tuvalu and Ireland host the second international conference on phasing out fossil fuels. This was announced on the final day of the first summit on this subject in Santa Marta, Colombia, which was co-organized by the Netherlands.
The next conference is planned to take place next year in Tuvalu, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean.
According to Philip Nugent, top official at the Irish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, that location sends a strong signal. “This puts this conversation on the front lines of climate change, in a country that understands more than any other country what is at stake.” The survival of Tuvalu is seriously threatened by the consequences of climate change, such as rising sea levels.
According to Nugent, the cooperation between Ireland and Tuvalu also symbolizes the increasing importance of cooperation between the northern and southern parts of the world. Both countries have different histories but a common goal, he said in Santa Marta.
Tuvalu’s Climate Minister Maina Talia also emphasized the common interest of Tuvalu and Ireland. According to him, the two islands are separated by the wide world, but brought together by something deeper. “Our nations have been shaped by history, by the ocean and by this common purpose: uniting the world to move away from fossil fuels.”
In the coastal city of Santa Marta, representatives of more than fifty countries and the European Union spoke in recent days about how to move away from oil, coal and gas. The conference was the first of its kind and was organized by Colombia and the Netherlands.
