By Husna Rizvi, Climate Home News
Commonwealth heads of state will begin meeting today in London, amid concerns over the unequal effects of climate change and efforts to fight it.
In its pre-meeting notes, the Commonwealth said that climate change would disproportionately impact poorer former British colonies. In fact, this year’s meeting was relocated to London from Vanuatu after the Pacific island’s infrastructure was badly damaged by Cyclone Pam in 2015.
“The Commonwealth is well placed to take action,” the statement said. “Underlining our on-going commitment to tackling climate change, protecting the environment and increasing the resilience of our members.”
But a report from Christian Aid, released on Monday, finds the Commonwealth’s richest members – Australia, Canada and the UK – were not doing enough to tackle the threat, while poorer countries were overachieving on their emissions cuts.
