Pacific Island youth leaders say the stakes couldn’t be higher at this year’s United Nations climate summit.
Even as Donald Trump threatens to pull out of the Paris climate agreement for a second time, world leaders meeting in Azerbaijan for COP29 have to decide on a new climate finance goal.
Fifteen years after the last target was set, the new deal will involve determining how many hundreds of billions – or even trillions – of dollars a year will flow from rich nations to poor nations to help them reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
In 2016, at the United Nations climate summit COP22 in Marrakesh, Morocco, those involved in international climate negotiations were caught by surprise by the election of Donald Trump as United States president.
This time in 2024, advocates say they have plans in place.
Robert Karoro is from the Kiribati Climate Action Network.
He says he sees the election of the known climate sceptic as a temporary setback, but also a distraction from the necessary work that must be done in urging other countries to stay the course.
“We’ve gone through the phase when the United States pulled out from the Paris agreement. And that was when he was elected to power in 2016. The Pacific is sort of used to this now. They come in. They come out. So, we’ve gone through this process. Now, we are going through it again. And if he is able to change it (Paris agreement), I think it is also up to us to push it from our end.”
A key agenda item at this year’s COP29 in Baku is determining a new climate finance target for the transfer funds from rich nations to developing nations to help reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Developing countries have called for a minimum of at least US$1 trillion a year.
With less coming from the United States, reaching any goal will be harder to achieve.
That could mean an increased role for private sector investment.
Karoro says with the US stepping back, there is a real opportunity for other nations to step forward – and assume a strong climate leadership position.
“This is an important time for Australia to really step up and say: I will be the one to make the difference. If they (the U.S) can’t make the difference, if they can’t do that, I will do it for the Pacific nation.”
He says negotiating the terms for the new climate finance architecture needs to be done on fair terms.
“But if Australia and other countries that have given their commitment at the beginning, signing it off at Paris but are not keeping to their promise – then the system won’t work. And to put it as climate finance, say 70 per cent of it to be a loan and 30 per cent as grant – that’s injustice for the Pacific, when we are not doing a lot of pollution emitting, and we do not have coal mines that we open any time we want.”
Around 100 world leaders are in Baku for COP29, including heads of states from poorer nations facing the worst impacts of climate change, particularly African and Pacific nations.
Noticeably absent is Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister, James Marape, who cited his frustration over the slow pace of progress and the risk of “meaningless talkfests”.
A streamlined delegation led by Climate Change Minister Simo Kilepa is representing PNG.
Australia’s climate change minister, Chris Bowen, will represent the Australian delegation in the absence of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
21-year-old Miriam Moriati from Kiribati has also decided not to attend COP29 in Baku.
Instead, she has been in Australia for the last month ahead of the summit, visiting Australian MPs and making connections with community groups.
“The purpose of coming here to Australia is to bring the concerned voices of the youth in Kiribati. I’m currently working with young people in Kiribati – and they have a lot to say about climate change impacts, how it is affecting them. And I’m here to bring that voice. We’ve been meeting a lot of influential people here and yes, Australia has been a really great donor, but what it gives is not enough. It could do more. Especially looking at the fact that Australia has been thinking of expanding its coal mines. I would like for Australia to just stop contributing to activities that will contribute to climate change impacts. Because (in doing so) you’re not only contributing to climate change impacts, but you’re also harming our islands, our homes.”
As President of the Rotaract Youth of Kiribati, her focus has been on mobilising and leading other youth to engage in climate adaptation projects.
One project involves growing mangroves on the lagoonside of Bonriki Causeway in the capital of Kiribati, Tarawa.
The plants capture carbon, support marine life, and reduce coastal flood risk.
“Sea level rise is a big issue in Kiribati because it’s a really flat island with only three metres above sea level. So, when sea level rise comes, it covers the whole land and causes saltwater intrusions to our groundwater, which is our only source of water when rain doesn’t frequently fall. So, sea level rise is a really big issue – and that is why I am here.”
She says has been inspired by the energy of young people to fight and protect their future, but the possibility of having to relocate due to rising sea levels is a worry.
One option is to relocate to Australia as climate refugees under a bilateral treaty called the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union.
From mid-2025, the treaty would see the Australian government grant 280 special visas to Tuvaluans every year.
The visas would not be tied to any work requirement.
Moriati says she has strong feelings on relocation.
“No-one wants to leave. We have our Tuvaluan fellows here. We have discussed with them about the Falepili, and they have stated, and we share the same way of thinking, that our Pacific people belong in the Pacific – because that’s where they are. Their cultures, their identity is all rooted in our islands; and we do not want to leave our island. We tend to stay. We prefer to die where we are born and not to relocate.”
Australia has a bid to co-host COP31 alongside Pacific nations.
An announcement is expected during the summit in Baku.
Aselu O’Brien from Tuvalu is part of the 350 Pacific Climate Warriors – a youth-led grassroots network working with communities to fight climate change from the Pacific Islands and with the diaspora.
Climate justice for Pacific Island states is a central goal for the collective.
O’Brien says he is using all tools and forums available to him to spread that message, whether through his rugby team – or coming to Australia for a fellowship with the Edmund Rice Centre.
“Tuvalu is on the frontline of climate change. Particularly, the tide is rising against us, and we don’t have much time left. So, my message is that time and tide wait for no man. And I want our politicians to act as soon as possible. Act fast. For them to see the realities of the low-lying countries like Tuvalu are experiencing at the moment.”
For him, one key indicator of the severity of the climate change impacts in Tuvalu is the increasing frequency and intensity of the king tides.
Local residents have to pitch in to help clear the roads and allow activity on the island to resume.
“We used to only have cyclone season during towards the end of the year, from November to April, which is the current cyclone season and rainfall for Tuvalu. Now we are experiencing this every month. Every month, you see king tides coming up, blocking places, stopping families to cross. The government doesn’t have a taskforce built for these types of events. Sometimes this happens early in the morning, such as like 2am the roads are blocked. And you can find people just come together and just clear the way.”
He says the stakes at COP29 couldn’t be higher. “The connection between Pacific Islanders and the land is very profound and central to identity, culture, and wellbeing. In the Pacific, land is not just a physical space. It’s deeply intertwined with ancestry, our ancestors, our community, and our tradition, the way how we do things, the way of life. And this represents a source of sustenance, spirituality and belonging. Sea level rise for low-lying islands means residents face the risk of it becoming uninhabitable. It is challenging the security and identity of our people. It’s not about my concern only – because it’s for the next generation, for my kids, for my grandkids,” he said.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this publication.