Page 7 - November 2021 IB FINAL

We Say

WHEN SIZE NO LONGER MATTERS

By Samisoni Pareti

That the islands of the Pacific were unable to convince the
heavy polluters of this world, the bigger and wealthier econo-
mies to commit to much larger cutbacks of carbon dioxide
emissions at COP26 in Glasgow, or declare dedicated finances
for loss and damage, is a reflection not of our failings but of
theirs.
It would be hard to imagine what else the Pacific delega-
tions, or representatives of other small island developing
states would have been able to achieve in any case.
Pitted against the self-serving interests of economic giants
of the super economies of our world, there was no way the
United States, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Japan and
others would have been able to convince their own to give
up their economic growth and their standards of living they
currently enjoy for the sake of people living in small, remote
islands of our world.
If there is any consolation for our island delegations to the
climate change negotiations in Glasgow, it is the fact that we
at least tried.
We gave it our all. veloping nations like ours will have to continue to fight to be
History will judge us kindly on this. heard and to be recognised.
Sure we wondered about the justification of sending large It’s a sad state of affairs, but it is the state of reality of how
delegations to the Glasgow talks in the case of Fiji and Papua this world has progressed, or regressed, whichever way one
New Guinea, given the severe economic hardships their looks at it.
people and those of the rest of the world are experiencing Nic Maclellan reflects on what COP26 achieved and failed to
through the COVID-19 pandemic. achieve on page 30 of this issue.
The fact remains though at COP26, size did not matter. That is also what six Pacific Island nations are getting
This has been true at COPs before this, and it will continue ready to do in Geneva at the World Trade Organisation’s 12th
to be true at COPs that are yet to come. Ministerial Conference, as you’ll read in my preview of the
For as long as leaders of our industrialised world, one that negotiations on page 42.
was built and continued to be fueled by dirty fossil fuel and That is how politics works, and that is how it will remain.
coal, pander to the interests of their own electorates as well
as negotiate their need for political relevancy, smaller de- editor@islandsbusiness.com

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