The Stream, November 2: Australia Cuts Water Supply of Manus Island Asylum Seekers
The Global Rundown
A group of asylum seekers on Manus Island, a remote detention center in Papua New Guinea, are without power or water. Fossil fuel companies are undercutting Paris climate agreement negotiations, a report reveals. Pacific Islanders implore Australia not to fund the Adani coal mine, saying the project will contribute to rising sea levels. As rains begin in the wake of California’s wildfires, experts rush to prevent water contamination. The EPA determines that water at a Puerto Rico Superfund site is safe for consumption.
“They took generators this morning and they cut the main pipes, there is no power in the whole center and no water. People are extremely anxious.” –Abdul Aziz, a Sudanese refugee at the Manus Island center, one of two isolated Pacific camps where Australia detains asylum seekers who arrive via boat. The Australian government is preparing to close the center and move the detainees into the community, but the asylum-seekers fear for their safety and refuse to leave. Australia has cut all essential services to the camp as the stand-off intensifies. Reuters
By The Numbers
245,000 acres Amount of land that was burned by last month’s California wildfires. Experts worry that rainfall could spread toxic chemicals and destabilize hillsides, damaging the region’s water supply. Watershed ecologist Brock Dolman described the ash from urban fires as “enemy No. 1 right now.” Pacific Standard
2,000 Number of households in Papua New Guinea that were displaced by coastal erosion over the past year. Similar scenarios are playing out across Oceania as climate change drives sea levels higher. In response, threatened island communities are begging Australia not to fund the Adani Carmichael coal mine, a project they believe will intensify climate change. The Guardian
In context: Climate change threatens health of Pacific island nations.
Science, Studies, And Reports
Negotiations to implement the Paris climate agreement are being manipulated by corporate interests, a recent report found. The analysis, co-authored by Corporate Accountability, discovered that many fossil fuel companies are undermining the agreement by skewing negotiations in their favor. The Paris agreement rulebook, which will cover issues such as accountability and financing, is set to be finalized in 2018. The Guardian
On The Radar
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that water drawn from a Superfund site in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico is safe for consumption. Puerto Ricans, desperate for water following Hurricane Maria, have been gathering water from the hazardous waste site for weeks. CNN
Kayla Ritter is a recent graduate of Michigan State University, where she studied International Relations and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is currently based in Manton, Michigan. Kayla enjoys running, writing, and traveling. Contact Kayla Ritter
