Is 1.5C still realistic? The crumbling consensus over key climate target
Sultan al-Jaber, chief executive of Abu Dhabi’s state oil company, has put one message front and centre since being named president of the UN COP28 climate summit: the world must not give up on the 1.5C target for
Underwater critical infrastructure needs protection
According to recent reports, a Russian spy ship was part of a sabotage operation targeting underwater cables, gas pipelines and wind farms in the North Sea. The vessel was spotted entering Belgian and Dutch
Sea of Western flags in Oceania?
In his recently published article “Sea of many flags”, the Head of the ANU National Security College Rory Medcalf makes the case for why Pacific Island states should regard the deep regional involvement of a Western
Probing political analysis needed for 2050 strategy
Work on the Pacific Islands Forum 2050 Strategy’s implementation and monitoring plan, and review of regional architecture, would have started after the Strategy was launched at the 51st Pacific Islands Forum Leaders
Countering China’s Pacific Ambitions
Like empires past, Xi Jinping’s China seeks three grand prizes in the Pacific: wealth, control and presence. Australia and other Pacific nations have recognised the nature and scope of this neocolonial ambition and
Answers needed on the Pacific Engagement Visa
Beyond practicalities, it’s unclear whether this is a genuine “Pacific family” partnership or geopolitical convenience? After a recent ministerial meeting, Australia agreed to expedite visa applications from Papua
Why has a Canadian company partnered with Nauru to fast-track deep sea mining?
Brown-black discharge gushed out of a pipe from a hulking ship, dispersing murky clouds of sediment into the international waters of the Pacific Ocean. The scene, captured in a video that’s garnered international
New PNG media policy will lead to government control of media
The new media development policy being proposed by the Papua New Guinea Communications Minister, Timothy Masiu, could lead to more government control over the country’s relatively free media. The new policy
PNG: Concerns raised at swift review period for media policy
Concerns for media independence and press freedom in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have been raised following the government’s announcement of a swift 12-day period for public review of the country’s draft National
Marine protected areas don’t help tuna, new paper shows
A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science has found that Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), which banned all fishing in 2015, has not had a significant impact on the skipjack and bigeye tuna
Opinion: Where now for Tokelau after the 2023 election?
The voters, fewer than 1000, selected the 11th Parliament (General Fono of Tokelau) on January 26, 2023 during the general election. Twenty members, a mixture of experienced elders, new young blood, and including three
