PACIFIC Island leaders have criticised rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects.

At a UN climate change conference on Monday in Bangkok, leaders and representatives from Pacific Island nations demanded that the world make more effort to put aside differences in combating the environmental impact, especially as their countries emerge from the economic devastation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands said the finance model for combating climate change, giving out loans to reduce the impact, is “not the way to go” for countries in his region with such small populations that produce “inconsequential amounts of carbon emissions” but suffer the most from the effects.