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grant-based climate financing between 2022 and 2025. That
is a four-fold increase on its previous climate finance commit-
ments, and at least half the funds are earmarked for work in
the Pacific.

Fossil fuels
At the heart of NDCs is the need to cut fossil fuel use.
The IPCC’s latest synthesis report indicated that on our cur-
rent track, the world is currently on a trajectory to warm by
2.7°C by the end of the century.
However Australia, an outlier amongst the Pacific Islands
Forum’s membership on climate change action, has indicated
it won’t boost its 2030 emissions reduction target.
Indeed, this month the BBC reported on a leak of 32,000
submissions to the scientists compiling the IPCC assessment
report, which indicated Australia, Saudi Arabia and Japan are
among countries asking the UN to play down the need to move
rapidly away from fossil fuels.
The BBC reports that a senior Australian government official efforts, the reporting and visibility of the world’s most vulner-
rejects the conclusion that closing coal-fired power plants is able people at the forefront of the global climate crisis now
necessary, even though ending the use of coal is one of the has an important extra layer of global support.”
stated objectives of the COP26 conference. “Sea-level rise is a present and future danger to the very
Despite lobbying for a seat at the table, fossil fuel firms will survival of our island nations, in turn posing many questions
not have a formal role at the COP26 climate summit. and complex issues for the protection of our people, their
rights and their entitlements, against the impacts of sea-level
Maritime boundaries and human rights rise and climate change. The world is well aware we only
Continuing their tradition of pushing the climate change have a small window of opportunity to address that scenario,
agenda—a tradition that began more than 20 years ago with and COP26 is that opportunity,” Puna continued.
some of our region’s smallest states and the leaders of Tuvalu, The Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council and
Marshall Islands and Kiribati—the Pacific is leading on several the Special Rapporteur have been tasked with studying and
other fronts in the current negotiating space. preparing a report on the impact of new technologies for
Recently Pacific leaders endorsed a Declaration on preserv- climate protection on the enjoyment of human rights.
ing maritime zones in the face of climate-related sea level Meanwhile Vanuatu is asking the International Court of
rise and called for all UN member states and the international Justice to issue an opinion on the rights of present and future
community to support the Declaration. generations to be protected from the adverse impacts of
The declaration states that once Pacific islands have es- climate change. If successful, this would lend moral weight to
tablished and notified maritime zones to the UN, they will be the position of Vanuatu and other climate vulnerable com-
fixed irrespective of changes to the shape and size of islands. munities, given its status as the highest UN court for disputes
“Pacific Leaders have declared our intention to maintain our between states and contributions to the development of
maritime zones without reduction, and we do not intend to international law.
review and update the baselines and outer limits of our mari- Some of the world’s most powerful nations have already
time zones, nor the rights and entitlements that flow from said that COP26 will not meet the expectations of our region’s
them, because of sea-level rise related to climate change,” climate vulnerable states. The coronavirus pandemic has
Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiame Mata’afa has stated. rerouted funds, energy and attention from this existential
“Securing our maritime zones against the threat of climate threat to us all for almost two years, despite the efforts of
change-related sea-level rise and preserving our existing Pacific nations to keep it on the agenda.
rights and entitlements from maritime zones is of fundamen- Palau traditionally lies outside the Pacific typhoon belt,
tal importance to our Pacific region.” but was hit by Typhoon Surigae in April, prompting President
Pacific Island nations have also been at the forefront of Surangel Whipps Jr, to urge the global community “to take
elevating the human rights aspects of the climate crisis. For the same level of urgency and bold action” it did to tackle
example, the UN Human Rights Council recently voted for a COVID-19.
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change, If COP26 turns out to be a COP-out, it will not be for lack of
prompting Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry effort on the part of Pacific leaders, but Pacific communities
Puna to call it: “a historic moment for Pacific leadership on will again bear the brunt of inaction, complacency or straight-
climate, and for small islands developing states everywhere- out denial.
in particular for the Republic of Marshall Islands, Fiji and
Vanuatu who have led this work since 2019. Thanks to their editor@islandsbusiness.com

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