No joke. Climate impacts “not a punchline:” Palau president takes swipe at Dutton

The president of Palau has urged Australia to persist in the joint bid with its Pacific Island neighbours to co-host COP31 climate talks in 2026, following Peter Dutton’s suggestion last week that a Coalition government would abandon the plans.

In an address to the Smart Energy Conference in Sydney on Wednesday, Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr reminded the largely Australian audience that Pacific Island nations are among the most vulnerable to climate change and the most determined to do something about it.

“From our vantage point, there is no more important diplomatic gathering each year than the [Conference of Parties],” Whipps told the audience at the Sydney International Convention Centre.

“Bringing the cop to the Pacific at this moment would allow the world to witness both the crisis and the leadership up close to see not only the devastating impacts of climate change, but also the real local, scalable solutions that Australia and Pacific nations are already delivering.

“We cannot let this moment pass without giving the Pacific a platform,” he said. “Hosting COP31 in our region is not just about symbolism. It is a test of fairness, balance and integrity in the global climate process.

“Our people expect COP31 to be a defining moment, one where we confront and resolve the difficult issues, even when they are uncomfortable for us to discuss.”

The Palau president also used the opportunity to take a thinly veiled swipe at the leader of the opposition for his 2015 “hot mic” gaffe, when then immigration minister Dutton was caught joking to then prime minister Tony Abbott and future PM Scott Morrison about how a meeting running late was on “Cape York time” and that “time doesn’t mean anything when you’re, you know, about to have water lapping at your door.”

“For those of us in the Pacific who have …lived through storm surges, rising ocean levels and increasing high tides, the phrase water lapping at our door is not a metaphor or a punch line,” Whipps said.

“It’s our fear and our reality. And I can assure you of this – whether you’re in Sydney, Palau or Cape York, time is everything and we do not have time to waste.”

To both sides of Australia’s parliament, Whipps issued a reminder that while Australia was the “big sibling” to the Pacific Islands, it is also by far the region’s biggest polluter, and has a long way to go to meet its international climate obligations.

“We’re asking for solidarity, and we are urging Australia and whoever forms the next government to take the next steps and stop approving new fossil fuel projects and to accelerate the phase out of coal and gas,” he said.

“And we know you can do it. This is not just a technical issue, it’s a moral one – in our Pacific family, Australia is our big sibling. You know at home, the custom is the oldest sibling, the largest sibling, is responsible for all the others.

“We look to you, not just for innovation or investment, but for leadership to step up to set the pace and help carry the load.”

Whipps’ message to Australia comes just one week after Peter Dutton dismissed Labor’s plan to co-host the global United Nations climate meeting with the Pacific as “madness” and claimed it would cost taxpayers “tens of billions” – a figure seemingly plucked from nowhere.

But Whipps argues that COPs are “not just negotiations” on climate action, but also serve as “the world’s largest green trade fair, drawing investors, governments, innovators, into the same space.”

“The return on investment for hosting COP31 isn’t just reputational, it’s economic, it’s environmental, it’s strategic,” he told the conference.

“In fact … if done well, COPs should deliver at least a 2:1 economic return on investment for a country like Australia. And if done well, it can help move Australia’s trade balance sheet away from fossil fuels and toward a genuinely greener trade balance sheet.”

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