9 December 2023, Dubai UAE - Pacific countries are not just victims of the escalating climate crisis. They also actively working on innovative and creative solutions to address the harmful impacts of climate change.
One such solution was highlighted by Nauru at the ongoing 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai, UAE, on Saturday.
Mr Reagan Moses, Secretary for Climate Change and National Resilience, spotlighted Nauru’s grand vision to build a new, Pacific Smart Village that leverages a range of sustainability measures to improve the quality of life for Nauruans.
“Nauru aspires to generate hundred per cent of its electricity from renewable energy. We aspire to transition to electric vehicles,” he said. “In fact, we have our own grand vision to build a new, Pacific Smart Village that leverages a range of sustainability measures to improve the quality of life for Nauruans, while diversifying our economy and addressing an acute housing shortage.
“If you care to learn more, I can share the over 400 pages of land planning documents and architectural schematics we have already prepared.”
Mr Moses was speaking during the resumed High Level Plenary of COP28 on Saturday as climate change negotiations pick up pace with negotiators, including many from Pacific countries, pushing for an outcome text ahead of Tuesday.
COP28, from Thursday 30 November 2023 – Tuesday 12 December 2023, is attended by more than 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.
As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake (GST), a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.
For Nauru, Mr Moses said climate financing is key.
“The existing financial architecture is simply not up to the task of addressing the climate crisis. We have heard lofty promises for climate finance. We see them in the Convention, in the Cancun decisions, and the Paris Agreement,” he said.
“Every year, we engage in the same numbers game to see if we will finally reach the $100 billion goal, even though we still cannot agreed on the definition of climate finance. We haven’t even gotten to the question as to whether $100 billion is remotely adequate.
“As Ministers and negotiators review the draft decisions over the course of this week, there is an easy way to determine the value we place as a global community on addressing climate change. Just look at the finance. All of our vision - all of our political will - amounts to very little if those who hold the purse strings fail to deliver on finance.”
As for the Smart Village concept, Mr Moses said it will be far from gleaming skyscrapers like here in Dubai.
“But it will be fit-for-purpose in a small island environment that is rapidly becoming just as inhospitable as the desert outside.”
Nauru, he said is grateful for the grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to climate-proof their marine port, which he described as the lifeline for their island.
“Without which we would be almost entirely cut off from food, medicine, and almost all other necessities. This is not a hypothetical, as even today, storms can cut us off from shipments many weeks at a time,” he said.
“However, we also need to be honest that this is a far cry from what is necessary for national resilience in the face of the climate crisis - for a truly Just Transition. We are also ready to do our part in making the Pacific a fossil fuel-free zone. In this regard, Nauru would like to use this opportunity to join others in calling for a treaty to phase out fossil fuel production.”
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 Pacific 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).