3 December 2023, Dubai UAE - World leaders must not forget the special circumstances and challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including all Pacific countries, as they look to the next steps of operationalising the Loss and Damage Fund.
The call came from the Prime Minister of Fiji, Honourable Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, when he addressed more than 170 Heads of State and Government leaders attending the High-Level plenary of the World Climate Action Summit at COP28, at the Plenary Al Hairat Expo City, Dubai, UAE.
“We welcome progress made this week in the establishment of the Loss and Damage fund. We urge the Fund should be more targeted to the special challenges confronting Small Island Developing States because we are the most exposed and most vulnerable,” Hon. Rabuka said.
The special circumstances of SIDS in relation to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and plastic pollution, refers to their small size and small economies which makes them inherently susceptible to external economic and financial shocks. Their geographical location also means that the triple planetary crisis, in this case the climate crisis, threatens their survival.
“COP28 is a pivotal moment for humanity in our collective effort to respond effectively to the climate crisis. There is no doubt we will fail to keep below 1.5degrees Celsius if we don’t act now with urgency,” Fiji’s Prime Minister said.
The “progress” Fiji’s Prime Minister was referring to is the historical decision on the first day of COP28 to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund, with pledges of more than USD500million already made by several parties including the likes of the United Arab Emirates, Germany, European Union, Japan, United States of America and others. Designed to assist countries vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, Pacific countries have applauded the development.
But Hon. Rabuka called for a herculean effort to ensure finances from the Loss and Damage Fund, as well as any other form of climate financing, are accessible and reaches grassroots Pacific communities who are at the immediate forefront of the climate crisis impacts.
“Experts have estimated that over US$4 trillion will be needed annually by 2030 to manage the impacts of climate change. There needs to be a herculean effort to mobilize financing and investments that is accessible and cost effective in delivering benefits to all,” he said.
“We must ramp up our adaptation efforts by doubling adaptation finance by 2025 and agree on a framework for the global goal on adaptation (GGA). I welcome the Presidency’s commitment to finalize the adoption of the GGA framework by the end of COP28.”
Prime Minister Rabuka, regarded as one of the elder statesmen in the Pacific given his experience and long history of service to Fiji and the region, lamented the lack of progress since he became involved in the climate negotiations space back in 1992 at the first Rio Earth Summit.
“Today, 28 years later, it seems to me that not enough has been achieved. Since 1992, emissions have dramatically increased, at a rate that destines us, and the world we live in, to destruction. The rate of emissions is the core metric to take stock of, and respond to.”
COP28 is taking place at a time when humanity is breaking all the wrong records on climate change. According to the 2023 edition of the Emissions Gap Report, greenhouse gas emissions and the global average temperature are hitting new highs, while extreme weather events are occurring more often, developing faster and becoming more intense.
For PSIDS, this compounds conditions that threaten their very existence. The IPCC, in its AR6 Synthesis Report, noted that above a global temperature rise of 1.5°C, SIDS regions face impacts which may be irreversible.
Hon. Rabuka, who is also Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Civil Service, Information and Public Enterprises, reiterated that 1.5 degree Celsius is a critical threshold for the Pacific and called for a transformational response from world leaders attending COP28.
“The science is unequivocal, we must make bold decisions that moves us towards the phasing out of fossil fuels,” he said. “Climate change in the Pacific is the major threat to our very survival and our identity. It is clear that we are at a breaking point for the survival of humanity.
“For this very reason, I will continue to champion the call for the Pacific to be a “Zone of Peace” which includes our collective responsibility to combat climate change and preserve the environment.
“I believe that a transformational response is needed. These includes a just transition that ensures global emissions peak before 2025. This will require deep cuts to emissions that align with the target of keeping global average temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“We must not forget that “just transition” also means being gender responsive. We must recognize the linkages between unpaid care and climate change.”
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai, UAE is taking place from Thursday 30 November 2023 – Tuesday 12 December 2023.
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 COP28 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, which is a Pacific partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
Another key part of the Pacific’s work at COP28 is the Pacific Delegation Office, which is a partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand. Both the Moana Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office are managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).