Page 18 - IB January 2024

Opinion Opinion

The Prime Minister of Samoa and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa (left), and COP28 President, Dr Sultan Al Jaber at the United
Nations General Assembly in New York. Photo: AOSIS website

COP28 MARKS THE END OF BUSINESS

AS USUAL FOR THE BLUE PACIFIC

By Dr Satyendra Prasad besides the Pacific, perhaps most enthusiastically by Brazil –
the hosts of COP30.
The United Nations climate talks (COP28) concluded in What was perhaps the most significant observation following
Dubai delivered a mixed bag of outcomes for the Pacific. the conclusion of the first global stocktake on climate actions
An early highlight during these annual talks was the was the ambiguity around the commitment by countries to
agreement to operationalise a loss and damage facility. Its stay within the 1.5 degree Celsius climate goal agreed to in
political outcome reflected a general commitment to move Paris at COP21.
away from fossil fuels. This was new and significant but fell For the Pacific, and possibly for the rest of the world, this
well short of being bold given the lack of specifics on how the COP was the most important since Paris.
world will get there. A global stocktake on where individual countries were at in
After years of active diplomacy led largely by the small delivering on their climate commitments was unsurprisingly
states of the Pacific, the role of oceans in climate change was and predictably disappointing.
given greater recognition. The commitment to give greater On the current pathways, the world will miss the 1.5 degree
weight to the natural world was generally welcomed, and Celsius target – perhaps irreversibly as early as 2030.

18 Islands Business, January 2024