20 November 2024, Baku Azerbaijan - The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has taken direct aim at the fossil fuel industry, calling them out for continuing to enjoy record profits at the peril of communities whose ‘lived reality’ is that of devastating climate crisis impacts.
Raising his voice on the world’s biggest climate change stage at COP29 in Baku Azerbaijan on Wednesday, Permanent Representative of the FSM to the United Nations, His Excellency Jeem S. Lippwe said the fact that “fossil fuel funding has quadrupled in a single era” added “insult to injury.”
“This is unconscionable,” he said. “Now more than ever, the world must phase out fossil fuels and cut super pollutants like methane. Swift and drastic action is our best hope to limit warming this decade.”
FSM’s aim at the fossil fuel industry is not misguided, and timely given concerns about the role and influence of fossil fuel lobbyists at COP meetings. In Baku, it has been reported that there are at least 132 oil and gas company senior executives and staff at the conference, and with some wearing special badges denoting they are guests of the COP Presidency.
The host country itself is a strong fossil fuel nation, with more than 90% of Azerbaijan’s exports built on fossil fuels. At the opening of COP29, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said fossil fuel is “a gift of God”, drawing the ire of thousands of officials, delegates and negotiators working to come up with ways for the planet to cope with the impacts of the climate crisis.
According to Mr Lippwe, the impacts of climate change on the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are severe.
“Extreme heat has become a silent killer in Micronesia, with heat-related illnesses and deaths rising. This threat targets our most vulnerable—our children, our elderly, those unable to escape the sweltering conditions. It also strikes our food systems—weakening taro crops and coral reefs,” he said.
“Climate impacts are not abstract statistics for us; they are our daily reality. Our days and nights grow steadily hotter, typhoons battering our shores are stronger and more frequent, and rising seas threaten our coastal communities. The past year brought severe drought across Micronesia, depriving us of fresh water for drinking and food production. We are not future victims of climate change, we are its present victims grabbling daily with its consequences.”
Mr Lippwe is heading FSM’s delegation in Baku, who have joined more than 300 delegates from the Pacific to amplify their voice for stronger climate ambition to address climate change.
A contentious, but a key issue is the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance. Pacific countries are amongst vulnerable nations seeking $1.3 trillion to deal with damage from climate change and to adapt to it. The figure is being debated along with other details such as how much is grants or loans, and who contributes, and will likely keep negotiators working around the clock until COP29 ends on Friday.
“We lack the financial, technical, and infrastructural resources to respond effectively. As discussions on loss and damage continue, the harm escalates,” said Mr Lippwe. “Finance must flow swiftly and must align with real needs of countries and there must be a genuine increase in funds from the developing world for loss and damage, adaptation and deep mitigation.
“The climate crisis is rife with injustice. Island nations like ours are strengthening our commitments, but we face rising debt as we adapt and recover from intensifying climate emergencies. We are doing our part, but others are not doing enough.”
It was at this point where the Permanent Representative of the FSM to the United Nations turned to the fossil fuel industry, and said: “The people of FSM refuse to surrender to a crisis we did not create, we call on the world’s largest polluters to take responsibility. We implore them to act now so that people like our communities do not pay the ultimate price.
“We call upon the world to stop fossil fuel expansion. Stop emitting super pollutants. Stop overconsumption that depletes shared resources.
“And we ask the world to start acknowledging responsibility for the past. Start safeguarding the lives and resources of the future and those most vulnerable to climate change. Start committing to serious action and then do not stop… until our planet is safe.”
The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place from 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan.
It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for the survival of Pacific communities who continue to be at the forefront of climate change impacts.
A key part of amplifying the One Pacific Voice at COP29 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office.
The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at COP29 is a Pacific partnership with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand managed by SPREP and the Pacific Delegation Office at COP29 is a Pacific partnership with the New Zealand Government managed by SPREP.
second main photo: Photo by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis