Australia should pay more to aid climate change victims, say aid group

04/02/2008 04:49:31

Aids groups have criticised the level of Australia's commitment to help Pacific island nations fight the impact of climate change.

The Australian government has agreed to provide an initial two million Australian dollars funding as part of a wider, 150 million dollar program.

The first allocation is being provided through AusAID to fund projects in Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga and Solomon Islands.

But a study by the international aid group Oxfam says adapting to climate change will cost at least 50 billion dollars a year globally.

And report author Charlotte Sterrett says Australia's contribution is nowhere near enough.

"Australia is responsible and capable of paying 1.45 billion dollars per annum to finance adaptation. This is compensatory finance.

"We're not talking about aid. It's on top of aid because it's not aid. It's compensation and finance for the damage that's already been caused by climate change," she says.

Without that commitment, Oxfam says Australia will face an even bigger dilemma earlier than expected -- having to relocate thousands of island refugees fleeing sea level rises.

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