October 01 (IPS) –
CIVICUS discusses the recent Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting in Tonga with Jacynta Fa’amau, Pacific Campaigner at 350.org, a global civil society organization that campaigns for climate action.
Representatives from 18 countries gathered in Tonga for the 53-Island Summit from 26 to 30 August, seeking to address issues including the climate crisis, socio-economic challenges and the political conflict in New Caledonia. The main agenda was to secure funding for the Pacific Resilience Facility, a climate finance mechanism aimed at supporting communities affected by climate change. The civil society has called on Australia, the world’s third largest exporter of fossil fuels and a founder of the Forum, to show real climate leadership by phasing out fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy.
PIF is an intergovernmental organization that aims to improve cooperation between the Pacific regions and territories, Australia and New Zealand. We may be separated by land borders, but we are united by the sea, and many problems affecting one island can provide important lessons for another. As a Samoan, I know that my future is related to that of my sister in the Solomon Islands or my brother in the Kiribati islands.
PIF meetings bring together regional leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing our region. In Section 53, the agenda focuses on several issues, including climate change, climate finance, education, health and the Pacific Policing Initiative – an Australian-based strategy to train and support the police.
But climate issues were high on the agenda. As Pacific Islanders, we know that moving away from fossil fuels is essential to our survival. We deserve not just resilience, but the power to thrive when faced with this crisis. To do this, we need access to adequate climate finance and affordable renewable energy. The Pacific Resilience Facility is part of the way to achieve this, with an emphasis on ensuring access to communities. Leaders have already approved Tonga as the host country for the financial institution, so the priority is to secure resources.
What were the priorities of the civil society, and what did they bring to the table?
The community has an important role to play in holding leaders to their promises and creating ways for communities to participate. PIF’s Civil Society Village hosts amazing groups like the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network and the Pacific Network on Globalisation, which work to bridge the gap between civil society and policy makers.
As for 350.org Pacific, our role has always been to ensure that communities have the tools they need to participate in international discussions that often seem far removed from reality. There is no need to make decisions about the people you work for if you do so without their input. Before PIF started, we had Our Pawa Training with over 200 youth and students across Tonga. ‘Pawa’ refers to the power of people driving the climate movement and the promise of a Pacific built on safe, renewable energy. This training provided Tongan youth with the tools to participate in the climate dialogue.
Our priority is to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the Pacific. Scientists have made it clear that our survival depends on an accelerated global phase out of fossil fuels. Wealthy nations should exit first, and historical exporters should support the global South in achieving their exit phase.
The Pacific must not be left behind in the renewable energy revolution. It is not right for our islands to bear the financial burden of recovering from a crisis we did not cause. We need the resources and expertise to transform our energy systems on our own terms and put the land, seas and well-being of Pacific Islanders first. We are asking for affordable climate funding to meet the US$500 million target.
For us, this means Australia must turn its climate talk into action.
Why is Australia at the center of public demand?
As the region’s largest producer of fossil fuels and the world’s third largest producer, Australia plays an important role in the climate crisis that threatens our lives. Coming to our ancestral lands to seek climate leadership while we sign death warrants for every gas project you approve is immoral and unacceptable.
But we also hold Australia to a high standard because it says it is our family. In the Pacific, kinship puts the welfare of the many before the greed of one. There is no world in which Australia can be a true Pacific partner while continuing to exploit fossil fuels. For every tonne of coal exported, Australia is sending climate disasters to our islands.
Australia must commit to moving away from fossil fuels, both domestically and for export. It must ensure that the Pacific is not left behind in the transition to renewable energy and commit to the funding owed to victims of the climate crisis. A Ki Mua report commissioned by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative found that eight Pacific nations could transform their energy systems for less than a seventh of the amount Australia gives to the fossil fuel industry.
With COP31 likely to be its presidency just around the corner, Australia has an opportunity to become the climate leader it claims to be.
Did the results of the PIF meeting meet your expectations?
We had high expectations, especially in terms of climate action, given the latest World Meteorological Organization report on sea level rise in our region. The Pacific is very vulnerable, so we need to be ambitious in a different way. Despite our small contribution to the climate crisis, we have set ourselves ambitious climate goals. We have been innovative in our adaptation strategies and are ambitious in our climate finance goals.
And while the final PIF report is an encouraging step towards securing the resources we need to tackle the climate crisis, there is a disappointing lack of pressure on the region’s largest fossil fuel producers to commit to phase out.
PIF’s focus on peace and stability was important given the current sovereignty struggles and the shadow of political tension hanging over our islands. But the climate crisis remains the most pressing security threat we face. With each new typhoon comes increased instability, and with each displaced community comes a host of security concerns.
The time for discussion is over and the time for action has come. PIF may be over, but the journey to COP29 has just begun. We Pacific climate warriors will continue to celebrate our traditions and our ancestors as we advocate for decisive climate action that will help us achieve a safe and sustainable future for the Pacific. We hope that those who have the power to make a change will choose to join us.
Contact 350.org through its website or Facebook and Instagram pages, and follow @350 on Twitter.
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