Page 26 - Islands Business June 2023

Climate Change

Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said this
month that the region fully supports Australia’s bid: “I think
the new Government of Australia has made a really strong
commitment towards climate change and their bid to host
COP31 is fully supported by Forum members and we’re looking
at this particular meeting as a COP joint meeting for Australia
and the Pacific.”
Despite this public support, there are still rumblings in the
ranks, with concerns that Australia’s COP initiative is designed
to greenwash ongoing commitment to new oil and gas proj-
ects and export of coal. The ALP government understands Aus-
tralia’s reputation as a climate laggard is widely shared – last
November, Foreign Minister Wong acknowledged: “Co-hosting
Ralph Regenvanu and Seve Paeniu COP31 will help restore Australia’s reputation and increase
international engagement on climate change and energy.”
For some Forum members, words are no longer enough.
board of governors of the World Bank and Asian Development “We would like to support Australia’s bid to host COP31,”
Bank. Both institutions are major forces in the islands region, Tuvalu’s Paeniu said. “However Australia wanted to frame that
but Paeniu notes “there is now an international call for a re- COP as ‘the Pacific COP.’ In that light, we have expressed our
view of the Multilateral Development Banks and international expectation that we would only agree to the notion of fram-
financial institutions to align their policy objectives to the ing as a ‘Pacific COP’ if Australia were to come on board and
Paris Agreement, the 1.5° pathway and just transition. These support the priorities of the Pacific on climate change – this
are the points we keep on advocating for within the interna- is inclusive of fossil fuels, doing away with subsidies, stopped
tional global financial order and also for specific mechanisms issuing new licences for further fossil fuel production, coal
like the Loss and Damage Fund.” mines and so forth and a commitment over time to reduce
“For us in the Pacific, our preference has been quite clear,” the consumption of coal and other fossil fuels, in line with the
Paeniu added. “We would like climate and development 1.5° pathway.”
finance in the form of grants, or – if not – in the form of the Paeniu also stressed the importance of renewable technolo-
most lenient and soft concessional financing. Our economies gy transfer and financing for mitigation: “We would like to see
are already overburdened by debt and debt distress, so we Australia really beefing up its commitment to support Pacific
cannot have more financing that puts additional debt on our Island nations to transition away from fossil fuels to renew-
economies.” ables – providing the technology transfer and also financing.
He said pledges for increased climate finance need to be These are the two areas where we would like Australia to
matched with ways to improve access for smaller countries: make firm commitments to enable us the Pacific to be able to
“All these international financial mechanisms have been very see the COP in Australia being a Pacific COP.”
difficult and challenging for small Pacific Island nations to A new report from the Australia Institute, A Fair COP31, says
access. Their complex access procedures need to be simpli- “Australia cannot be considered a credible host for COP31
fied for smaller countries to readily access them. The finance while it continues to subsidise and approve fossil fuel expan-
needs to come at scale – so rather than small, piecemeal proj- sion. Nor can Australia be considered a credible co-host if it
ects, the funding needs to be comprehensive and at scale.” ignores the requests of its prospective Pacific partners.”
Vanuatu’s Ralph Regenvanu echoes these concerns: “Coming
Support for a regional COP? into the so-called Pacific COP, there needs to be a lot more
In November 2022, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong examination of the relationship with Australia and particularly
announced the appointment of Kristin Tilley as her nation’s around climate policy and climate finance. Vanuatu for one
Ambassador for Climate Change. She also reaffirmed Austra- will be encouraging that discussion as we start to figure out
lia’s plan to host a UNFCCC Conference of the Parties. what this COP is going to look like.”
“The Australian Government will officially bid to co-host Forum leaders will gather in Cook Islands on 6-10 November,
the 31st UNFCCC COP in 2026 in partnership with our Pacific just weeks before COP28 will take place in the United Arab
neighbours,” Wong announced. “The Australian Government is Emirates. Will Australia join the growing call for a rapid tran-
committed to working in partnership with Pacific countries to sition away from production and consumption of fossil fuels,
address the climate emergency and realise our shared ambi- or will – once again – diversion and business as usual delay
tion for a successful COP31 bid.” further action at COP28?
Last February’s Forum Special Leaders Retreat in Nadi
agreed to work together to advocate for the joint bid. Forum editor@islandsbusiness.com

26 Islands Business, June 2023