‘Immoral and unacceptable’: Tuvalu calls on Australia to set urgent deadline to end fossil fuels

Tuvalu’s climate minister has declared that “opening, subsidising and exporting fossil fuels is immoral and unacceptable”, just a day after Australia ratified a climate and security deal with the low-lying Pacific nation.

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, welcomed the agreement with Tuvalu on Wednesday, saying Pacific island countries were “fully aware of the commitment that we have to climate action” but gas would continue to play a role.

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On Thursday, Tuvalu’s climate change minister, Maina Talia, joined several First Nations leaders from across Pacific to call on Australia to set an urgent deadline for an end to fossil fuels.

Related: ‘A crisis entirely of humanity’s making’: UN chief issues climate SOS on trip to Pacific

Speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum (Pif) talks in Tonga, he said he supported the push for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty because he knew that fossil fuels were “killing us”.

“Opening, subsidising and exporting fossil fuels is immoral and unacceptable,” he said.

“If this [Pif leaders’ meeting] aims for regional prosperity, we must address climate justice, sea level rise and the root cause of climate change, which is the burning of fossil fuels.”

Environmental groups have mobilised on the sidelines of the Pif summit to call for Australia to stop new coal and gas projects and curb fossil fuel exports.

Albanese defended the pace of Australia’s transition plans when he and the Tuvalu prime minister, Feleti Teo, ratified their new agreement on Wednesday.

The agreement recognises that Tuvalu is especially vulnerable to sea level rise and commits the two countries “to work together in the face of the existential threat posed by climate change”.

From next year, Australia is offering to issue 280 visas to people from Tuvalu who wish to live, work, study or visit the country.

Australia is obliged to respond to requests for help if Tuvalu has to deal with a major natural disaster, a pandemic or military aggression.

In return for this security guarantee, Australia has the right to veto Tuvalu’s security cooperation with other countries, although Tuvalu could choose to terminate the treaty entirely if it objects to such intervention.

Recently published analysis found Australia was the third biggest fossil fuel exporter on an energy basis in 2021, trailing only Russia and the US.

Teo said on Wednesday the treaty did not include any specific commitment to stop any new coal and gas projects in Australia.

“But the spirit of the treaty does give us comfort that Australia will do whatever is within Australia’s capacity to assist Tuvalu and the region’s efforts to combat climate change,” he said at a press conference with Albanese.

Albanese said the region was aware of Australia’s commitment, including ensuring 82% of its energy supply was renewable by 2030. The government has a target of a 43% cut in emissions on 2005 levels by 2030, on the way to net zero by 2050.