Frank Bainimarama's journey from coup leader to climate change crusader

Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is on his first official visit to Australia despite having led the Pacific Island country for more than a decade — first as the leader of a military coup, and later as an elected politician.

Former commodore Frank Bainimarama
 seized power almost 13 years ago — two
elections later, he's still in charge.

Former Commodore Bainimarama seized power in Fiji back in 2006, leading to a series of events that would eventually see Australia and New Zealand slap sanctions on him and other senior officials.

But two democratic elections later, Mr Bainimarama is still leading Fiji — and his international reputation has made a fairly miraculous recovery.

Australia and New Zealand have normalised relations with Fiji, and both are trying to up their engagement with the nation and the broader region, in the face of diplomatic overtures from China.

Mr Bainimarama has also become a prominent climate change advocate on the global stage: Fiji was the first country to ratify the Paris Agreement, and he was the President of the COP23 climate change conference in Bonn in 2017.

Read the ABC News story by Michael Walsh - “Frank Bainimarama's journey from coup leader to climate change crusader.”

Eighteen countries showing the way to carbon zero

Eighteen countries from developed economies have had declining carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels for at least a decade. While every nation is unique, they share some common themes that can show Australia, and the world, a viable path to reducing emissions.

Changes in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion for 18 countries
with declining emissions during 2005-2015. Countries are ordered
by how soon their emissions peaked and began to decline.

Global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels continue to increase, with record high emissions in 2018 and further growth anticipated for 2019. This trend is linked to global economic growth, which is largely still powered by the burning of fossil fuels.

Significant reductions in the energy and carbon intensities of the global economy have not been sufficient to trigger decreases in global emissions.

Read the piece from The Conversation - “Eighteen countries showing the way to carbon zero.”

Advocates Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Tell the Truth About Climate Change

It has been a tough few months for climate change. In October, an international body of climate scientists declared humans have a little more than a decade to make the drastic changes needed to keep rising temperatures reasonably in check. In November, federal scientists released an equally grim assessment detailing the unprecedented floods, droughts and wildfires expected to hit the United States. Then, this month, with the world ablaze, diplomats gathered in Poland to bicker over how much water each country should pour on their respective fires and, in some cases, whether scientists were exaggerating the size of the flames.

Al Gore - he's always told the truth about climate change.

It’s bad, for sure, and worse than most people realize. Many scientists and advocates go to great lengths to keep sanguine about the carbon crisis, even when the news is certifiably grim, and this threatens to undermine public understanding of climate change. Too many spoonfuls of sugar blunt the effect of the medicine.

Read the story from Nexus Media by Jeremy Deaton - “Advocates Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Tell the Truth About Climate Change.”