Page 31 - November 2021 IB FINAL

Climate Change Climate Change

Brianna Fruean of Samoa delivered a very powerful and ‘Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Cli-
emotional statement,” Puna said. “I’m so proud of our Pacific mate Change-related Sea-Level Rise’, which seeks to expand
delegations that have been here – the Forum chair, our politi- international law on maritime rights.
cal climate champions, our young people, the traditional Financing the transition to more sustainable economies and
indigenous voices. They have all combined to amplify the societies was the other central battle between wealthy and
Pacific voice and ensure that it is heard here. You have all poorer nations at COP26. A decade ago, OECD states agreed
done us proud.” to mobilise US$100 billion each year from public and private
Despite these efforts, however, team Pacific was outnum- sources to fund the climate transition in poorer developing
bered more than 10 to 1 by fossil fuel lobbyists. Island delega- nations. This target, enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement,
tions came away disappointed by the failure of major partners was due to be met by 2020. However last December, an
to match soaring rhetoric with concrete action and finance. expert working group found that wealthy nations had failed
Forum Secretariat climate adviser Exsley Taloiburi told Islands to pledge and spend this amount. Pacific delegations went to
Business: “At the beginning of this COP, there have been a lot Glasgow hoping for new finance commitments, a shift of fund-
of assurances at the political level and in all the statements ing from mitigation to adaptation and a new collective finance
that were made by world leaders during the summit. Unfor- goal post-2025, to address the growing gap between promises
tunately, that has not really translated into the technical and the money required on the ground.
negotiations that happened in the last two weeks.” The failure of developed countries to meet their climate
finance obligations and to develop innovative sources of
Four core concerns finance outside aid budgets is a significant problem. For the
This year, Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Forum’s climate finance expert Exsley Taloiburi, there were
delegations mobilised around four core areas: the Paris rule- also significant differences during the technical negotiations
book; adaptation funding; a mechanism for loss and damage over climate finance.
finance; and recognition of the link between the oceans and “A key difference was to have a common definition of
climate change. These priorities were framed within the call climate finance, so that countries don’t double count their
for more urgent and extensive emissions reductions before development funding as climate financing,” he said. “The
2030, in order to limit global temperature rise from further other key issues were to increase funding for adaptation, the
catastrophic increases. need for dedicated financing for loss and damage, as well as
Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate ease of access for our Pacific island countries.”
Change, countries have debated the content of the “Paris A key outcome was greater focus on adaptation in the final
rulebook”, the technical mechanism to implement the 2015 Glasgow communique, which “urges developed country par-
agreement. A major sticking point was Article 6 and the cre- ties to at least double their collective provision of climate fi-
ation of a market and non-market mechanisms on emissions. nance for adaptation to developing country parties from 2019
Forum Secretary General Puna argued “we must ensure that levels by 2025, in the context of achieving a balance between
the market mechanism under Article 6 of the rulebook pro- mitigation and adaptation.”
ceeds to financing adaptation and safeguarding environmental
sustainability.” Loss and damage
Palau’s Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Environment PSIDS nations also prioritised the creation of a dedicated
Steven Victor played a key role for the PSIDS in these negotia- funding window for “loss and damage”, the enormous devas-
tions, and the final outcome saw the completion of the Paris tation driven by climate-induced disasters like cyclones and
rulebook. This means that by 2024 all countries will have ocean acidification that are already impacting island nations
to report detailed data on their greenhouse gas emissions. (for example, Cyclone Winston caused F$2 billion damage
However many rights groups are concerned the final text of when it hit Fiji in 2015).
Article 6 does not mention the need to obtain free, prior and For the first time in Glasgow, Scottish host Nicola Sturgeon
informed consent from indigenous people before projects are pledged creation of a 2 million pound loss and damage fund.
undertaken. This symbolic gesture, explicitly stating the fund was “repara-
Although the issue of the oceans was not formally on the tions”, was welcomed by developing nations. But Scotland is
COP26 agenda, Pacific governments were eager to highlight not a party to the global climate treaty and no major country
the oceans/climate nexus. Pacific governments – backed by is willing to acknowledge liability for loss and damage.
UN Special Envoy on the Ocean Peter Thomson of Fiji – have At the last COP in 2019, nations agreed to set up a techni-
long highlighted the many ways that global heating affects the cal assistance program, known as the Santiago Network, to
oceans: from sea level rise, to ocean acidification, changes in help countries deal with these unavoidable, irreversible harms
the spawning grounds for tuna all the warming of the oceans caused by climate change. This loss and damage program was
that contributes to more intense cyclones. Despite resistance established without staff or funding, but in Glasgow, Pacific
from some AOSIS members and landlocked African nations, negotiators were central to gaining some financial and logis-
the oceans debate was extended in Glasgow. The Office of the tics resources in coming years.
Pacific Oceans Commissioner re-launched the region’s new Their core demand, however, was for a dedicated interna-

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