October 1 (IPS) –
CIVICUS discusses the recent Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting in Tonga with Jacynta Fa’amau, Pacific Campaigner at 350.org, a global civil society organization campaigning for climate action.
Representatives from 18 countries gathered in Tonga from August 26 to 30 for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, seeking to address issues including the climate crisis, socio-economic challenges and political conflict in New Caledonia. A key agenda item was securing funding for the Pacific Resilience Facility, a climate finance mechanism aimed at supporting communities affected by climate change. Civil society called on Australia, the world’s third-largest fossil fuel exporter and co-founder of the Forum, to show real climate leadership by phasing out fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy.
The PIF is an intergovernmental body that aims to improve cooperation between Pacific states and territories, Australia and New Zealand. We may be divided by national borders, but we are united by the ocean, and many of the issues affecting one island can provide valuable lessons for another. As a Samoan, I know that my future is linked to that of a sister in the Solomon Islands or a brother in the atolls of Kiribati.
PIF meetings bring together regional leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing our region. During the 53rd session, the agenda focused on several issues, including climate change, climate finance, education, healthcare and the Pacific Policing Initiative – an Australian-backed strategy to train and support police.
But climate issues were at the top of the agenda. As Pacific Islanders, we know that phasing out fossil fuels is critical to our survival. We deserve not only resilience, but the ability to thrive in the face of this crisis. To do this we need access to adequate climate finance and affordable renewable energy. The Pacific Resilience Facility is part of the way to achieve this, with a focus on ensuring accessibility for communities. Leaders had already approved Tonga as the host country for this financial facility, so now the main priority is to secure the resources.
What were civil society’s priorities, and what has this achieved?
Civil society has a critical role to play in delivering on leaders and creating opportunities for communities to get involved. The PIF’s Civil Society Village has hosted notable groups such as the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network and the Pacific Network on Globalizationwho are committed to bridging the gap between civil society and policymakers.
At 350.org Pacific, our role has always been to ensure communities have the resources they need to engage in multilateral discussions that often seem far removed from the reality on the ground. There is no point in making decisions about the people you serve if you do so without their input. Before the PIF started, we held the Our Pawa training with more than 200 young people and students across Tonga. “Pawa” refers to the people power driving the climate movement and the promise of a Pacific Ocean built on safe, ethical renewable energy. This training provided young Tongans with tools to engage in climate conversations.
Our top priority is to ensure a safe and viable future for the Pacific. Scientists have made it abundantly clear that our survival depends on an immediate global phase-out of fossil fuels. Richer countries must phase out first, and historic emitters must support the global south in achieving their phase-out.
The Pacific cannot be left behind in the renewable energy revolution. It is unfair that our islands have to bear the financial burden of recovering from a crisis that we did not cause. We need the resources and expertise to transform our energy systems on our own terms and put the land, sea and the well-being of Pacific Islanders first. We call for accessible climate finance to achieve the Pacific Resilience Facility’s $500 million target.
For us, this means Australia must translate its climate rhetoric into action.
Why is Australia at the center of civil society demands?
As the largest producer of fossil fuels in the region and the third largest exporter in the world, Australia plays a major role in the climate crisis that threatens our survival. To come to the lands of our ancestors and demand climate leadership while simultaneously signing our death warrants on every gas project you approve is immoral and unacceptable.
But we also have high standards for Australia, because it claims to be our family. In the Pacific, kinship puts the good of many above the greed of one. There is no world in which Australia can be a true partner of the Pacific and continue to exploit fossil fuels at the same time. With every tonne of coal exported, Australia exports a climate disaster to our islands.
Australia must commit to phasing out fossil fuels, both domestically and exports. It must ensure that the Pacific does not lag behind in the transition to renewable energy and commit to the financing it has historically owed to victims of the climate crisis. The Ki Mua Report commissioned by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative found that eight Pacific countries could transform their energy systems for less than a seventh of the amount Australia gives to the fossil fuel industry.
With its potential COP31 Presidency on the horizon, Australia has the opportunity to become the climate leader it claims to be.
Did the outcomes of the PIF meeting meet your expectations?
Given recent developments, we had high expectations, especially in the area of climate action report from the World Meteorological Organization on the accelerated sea level rise facing our region. The Pacific is particularly vulnerable, so we must be exceptionally ambitious. Despite our negligible contribution to this climate crisis, we have set ourselves ambitious climate goals. We have been innovative in our adaptation strategies and ambitious in our climate finance targets.
And while the PIF final is on communique While this is an encouraging step towards securing the resources we need to tackle the climate crisis, there has been a disappointing lack of pressure on the region’s major fossil fuel producers to commit to a gradual abolition.
The PIF’s focus on peace and stability was important given the current sovereignty struggle and the shadow of one geopolitical tug-of-war hanging over our islands. But the climate crisis remains the most urgent security threat we face. With each new cyclone comes more instability, and with each displaced community comes a host of security challenges.
The time for deliberation is long gone and the time for action has arrived. The PIF may be over, but the journey to get there is COP29 has only just begun. We climate warriors in the Pacific will continue to celebrate our culture and ancestors as we advocate for decisive climate action that will help us achieve a safe and sustainable future for the Pacific. We hope that those with the power to create change will choose to join us.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service