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More than 160 organizations, led by Tongan Americans and advocacy group Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), are calling on the Biden administration to bolster humanitarian aid to the Kingdom of Tonga, where a January volcano eruption triggered a devastating tsunami. Here’s what you need to know…
- The latest: More than 1,500 people are still displaced and over 200 homes have been destroyed, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. With limited Internet restored, most Tongans in the U.S. have been able to connect with family members on the island.
- While donations have rolled in, shipping constraints and a backlogged global supply chain have made it difficult to deliver essential goods, cash, and clean water. USAID announced an additional $2.5 million in humanitarian assistance on Tuesday.
- What they’re saying: In a letter to the White House, advocates urged President Joe Biden to release a statement acknowledging the tragedy and deploy more U.S. resources to assist with relief and recovery efforts. They also demanded “significant” climate action to address rising sea levels and land erosion that put villages at risk even before the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano erupted, contaminated freshwater sources, and destroyed buildings, crops, and fisheries. “There is no question that such devastating impacts are a result of climate change,” the letter states.
- Pacific Islander nations face an existential threat from climate change, having suffered some of its most toxic impacts in addition to pollution from nuclear tests and waste facilities, Axios’ Shawna Chen writes. Pacific Islander nations release just 1.5% of carbon dioxide emissions, while G20 nations release 80%, according to AJ+. But most G20 nations, who represent some of the world’s largest emitters, are not on track to meeting targets set by the Paris Agreement, The Yappie reported in November.
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