11 December 2023, Dubai UAE - The voice of Pacific Ministers and delegates continue to be loud and strong at COP28 in Dubai, UAE, as the political phase of the UN Climate Change Conference gets underway with round-the-clock efforts to agree on a decision text, particularly on outstanding issues, including the Global Stocktake (GST), Adaptation and Climate finance.
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) 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.
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 Pacific countries, 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, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) regions face impacts which may be irreversible.
“The reality is that while we are here talking and enjoying this beautiful city of Dubai, my country is sinking,” Tuvalu’s Minister for Finance, Hon. Seve Paeniu, said.
“Our communities live with the reality of their land being eaten away by coastal erosion and rising sea levels, their foreshores eroding, some of the islands are disappearing.”
Hon. Paeniu also highlighted the need for enhanced climate finance, including a doubling of adaptation finance.
The call from Tuvalu continues to reverberate around the Dubai Expo City at the business end of COP28 where negotiators continue to discuss draft decisions on various issues, in particular on a Global Stocktake, which will assess Parties’ progress on efforts to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Aside from that, Pacific Ministers have been active in the COP Presidency’s “Majlis,” which saw Ministers convene in a colosseum setting on Sunday to try and move things forward. COP28 President, Dr. Al Jaber said the objective of the Majlis was to foster “heart to heart” discussions, noting that his COP28 Presidency would not accept a watering down of ambition. He urged everyone to be flexible, think about the common good rather than their self-interest, and come forward with recommended language on the outstanding issues.
The Republic of Marshall Islands Hon. Minister John Silk said communities in his country faced the risk of being forced to relocate, which means abandoning their homes, culture, and ancestors. This is why COP28 must end with decisions that would help his people.
The Federated States of Micronesia’s H.E Andrew Yatilman, the Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Emergency Management stressed the need for urgent action on non-carbon dioxide gases, particularly methane, as a matter of equity and justice.
Samoa, as the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said parties cannot leave COP28 without the highest ambition in the Global Stocktake. Samoa’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster added that AOSIS would like to see the phase-out of fossil fuels and related subsidies.
As COP28 entered its final 48 hours, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a deal at COP28 on the phaseout of fossil fuels, telling negotiators that “now is the time for maximum ambition and maximum flexibility.”
“We must conclude the conference with an ambitious outcome that demonstrates decisive action and a credible plan to keep 1.5-degree goal alive, protecting those on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” he said.
On Monday, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell reminded that ultimately, there are 8 billion people’s security at stake.
“If we want to save lives now, and keep 1.5 within reach, the highest ambition COP outcomes must stay front and centre in these negotiations,” he said. “Yes, this is the biggest COP yet - but attending a COP does not tick the climate box for the year. The badges around your necks make you responsible for delivering climate action here and at home.
"We need COP to deliver a bullet train to speed up climate action.”
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).
Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis