PALAU President Surangel Whipps Jr says their government puts God at the centre of climate policy because they believe they own none of it – “everything on this planet belongs to God”.
Palau is a tiny Pacific island nation of about 18,000 people across 340 coral and volcanic islands in Micronesia.
It boasts barrier reefs, lagoons, world-class diving, rich marine biodiversity, ancient culture and strong environmental protections to maintain it all.
“(God) has entrusted us with the responsibility to be good stewards,” Mr Whipps said in an interview with Enrique Ramirez, a senior policy performance and improvement officer at Brisbane Catholic Education.
“When it comes to climate, caring for our common home is simply part of that responsibility.”
Pacific island nations like Palau are sounding alarm bells about the trajectory of climate change.
“We know that the Pacific is the most vulnerable region to climate change-related weather events,” Mr Whipps said.
“There are three countries where all islands sit only two metres above sea level, meaning they risk disappearing.
“In Palau, we also have islands that will disappear if we remain on our current trajectory.”
Mr Whipps champions the “30 per cent conservation” initiative, backs a moratorium on deep-sea mining and promotes a fossil-fuel-free Pacific.
“It cannot be only the Pacific Islands fighting climate change; it requires the whole planet,” he said.
“It is essential for our children to understand this, and for everyone to take responsibility.”
Australia, he said, was the biggest Pacific island and the other nations looked to it as a “big brother”.
He told Mr Ramirez “as an oldest child myself, I know that our biggest responsibility is that we take care of all our siblings”.
One unique solution to raising awareness has been the Palau pledge for tourists, which was a large part of the Palauan economy.
“When you come as a visitor, you make a commitment to our children to be a good steward,” Mr Whipps said.
“The pledge helps people understand how to minimise their impact, whether by making responsible choices, encouraging businesses to be more environmentally friendly and use renewable energy, or properly managing and recycling waste.
“All of these actions help us reduce our carbon footprint.”
The island nation was also forging ahead with plans to launch electric buses this year and incorporate other technologies like solar panels, battery storage and hydrogen-powered boat engines.
“Our current solar capacity to run the grid is about 20 per cent and this is not too much, but we are also planning to install batteries so we can improve to 25 per cent,” he said.
“That is a big achievement for a small island, but we hope to encourage other pacific islands to join.
“We want 100 per cent of renewables in the Pacific, and to achieve that, we just need a little bit of support, and I think we can transition already to make it economically viable.”
Change is vital
Mr Whipps said he had the opportunity to attend the Energy Forum in Australia last year and they spoke about the importance of climate change and supporting policies that helped mitigate against its impact.
“Australia is the biggest Pacific island, we are part of the Pacific Island Forum and we like to say that Australia is our big brother …,” he said.
“About the Australian people, at the end of the day, policymakers may be conservative or liberal, but what matters most is what is in people’s hearts.
“I believe the results of the last election and the positions Australians are taking on climate change demonstrate that the Australian people truly see themselves as big brothers in the Pacific and genuinely care about what is happening in the region, especially when it comes to climate change.”
He said the Pacific was the most vulnerable region to climate change–related weather events.
“There are three countries where all islands sit only two metres above sea level, meaning they risk disappearing. In Palau, we also have islands that will disappear if we remain on our current trajectory,” he said.
“I believe each county has the right to be sovereign, the right to live happily, and, most importantly, is that we have been entrusted with this planet by God and it is our responsibility to be good stewards, to take care of what has been given to us, and making the right choices; to drive less and walk more, to eat more vegetarian food, including vegemite and eat less meat.”
He said there were small changes that if everyone did their part, the y could make a global impact.
“It is also important to protect our oceans. Why is this important?” he said.
“So, we can protect the largest carbon sink. We always talk about the importance of the forests, but every second breath we take comes from the oceans, as they produce 50 per cent of the world’s oxygen.
“We must protect the bottom of the ocean, the deep sea.
“One of the good things that Australians and Palauans share is the great commitment to the preservation and sustainable use of the environment, and it is important that together, we help the world to understand.
“That’s why it was so important for us to have Australia to host the UN Climate Change Conference (Conference of Parties) COP in 2026, unfortunately this is not happening as it will be held in Turkey, but at least, Australia is participating and when it comes to negotiations, Australia will be the president of those negotiations.
“We will have a pre-COP in the pacific to prepare and bring the focus on the pacific and bring that to Turkey, because it takes all working together to make a change.
“It cannot be only the Pacific Islands fighting climate change; it requires the whole planet.”
For more information of the Palau Pledge visit https://palaupledge.com/
