European Commissioner for energy and climate change action, Miguel Arias Canete has signed new agreements to reinforce cooperation on sustainable energy between the EU and four Pacific Island nations.
These are the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau and Nauru.
The agreements – signed at the Pacific Island Leaders Forum meeting - are aimed at making national energy sectors more sustainable by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.
“Sustainable energy is the fuel for sustainable development. This is especially true in small developing island states like the pacific islands where dependency on imported fuel is so costly that it is hammering economic growth and where energy is even more linked with climate change issues than other parts of the world,” says Canete.
The Pacific Islands bears the brunt of the effects of climate change, in particular due to rising sea levels and changing weather patterns including increased storms and natural disasters like cyclones, earth quakes and tsunamis.
Tonga has been feeling the pressure of rising oil prices and has therefore agreed to cut dependence on oil imports.
Similar agreements have already been signed between Cape Verde and Austria, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal, Ivory cost and France Liberia, Norway Rwanda and Togo.