Last week, Nikenike Vurobaravu, president of the Pacific Island nation Vanuatu, made an urgent appeal to the United Nations General Assembly to join a nonproliferation treaty and phase out fossil fuels across the globe. Vanuatu is a double chain of 13 principal and many smaller volcanic and coral islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean with a population of about 310,000 people. As ocean levels rise due to global warming temperatures and extreme weather events threaten to destroy low-lying regions, Vanuatu’s very existence is under serious threat. Vurobaravu addressed the assembly: “We call for the development of a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty to phase down coal, oil, and gas production in line with 1.5C and enable a global just transition for every worker, community, and nation with fossil fuel dependence,” reports @guardian. The Vanuatuan president also called for making ecocide a crime punishable in an international criminal court, saying that “acting with the knowledge of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment can no longer be tolerated.” In May, Vanuatu announced a campaign that it would request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on countries’ legal obligations to protect people from climate harm. The U.N. will vote on the resolution this month or next. According to @climatehomenews, the resolution is not expected to lead to reparations for countries that have suffered climate disasters, but could inform climate lawsuits and strengthen vulnerable countries’ calls for more support at international negotiations. Image: President of Vanuatu Nikenike Vurobaravu addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at the U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)