Climate change affects us all, but not equally. Right now, Pacific communities are paying for the climate crisis and a new report, launched this morning in Tonga, shows that Australia and New Zealand must step up and ensure that polluters pay for climate damages - not Pacific women and their communities on the frontlines. In the spirit of justice and solidarity the Edmund Rice Centre calls on the Anthony Albanese government to step up by supporting an ambitious climate finance goal at COP29 and ensuring Australia contributes its fair share of climate finance. Click here to read the full report.

This morning United Nations General Secretary Antonio Gutteres, currently in Tonga for this year's Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, presented new research showing that ocean temperatures in the Pacific are rising at 3 times the rate worldwide. This contributes to increased sea level rise, which in turn could result in some islands becoming uninhabitable within the next decade. Without cuts to global emissions, Mr Gutteres said, the Pacific Islands can expect additional sea level rise of 15 cm by 2050 and 30 days a year of coastal flooding. Mr Gutteres has called for global leaders to phase out fossil fuels and "massively boost climate adaptation investments" in vulnerable countries.

We congratulate Independent Federal MP Kylea Tink for introducing a bill in parliament last Monday to limit the detention of asylum seekers to 90 days, among other crucial changes to the current approach to refugees and asylum seekers, in Australia. The ERC strongly supports this bill - click here to read more about it.