Vanuatu has accused the United States and other developed countries of obstructing progress at the UN climate summit in Poland.
Mae Jemison gives a speech during COP 24, the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Katowice, Poland on 4 December, 2018. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto
The talks in the city of Katowice have centred on a recent critical UN climate report which said urgent action was needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees celcius.
Ralph Regenvanu Photo: WikiCommons / Marke Lowen
The US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait blocked full endorsement of the report, only agreeing to note it.
Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu took the stage on Tuesday to single out the countries for not doing enough.
"It pains me deeply to have watched the people of the United States and other developed countries across the globe suffering the devastating impacts of climate-induced tragedies, while their professional negotiators are here at COP24 putting red lines through any mention of loss and damage in the Paris guidelines and square brackets around any possibility for truthfully and accurately reporting of progress against humanity's most existential threat," Mr Regenvanu said.