Page 19 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Cover
COP28 COP28
and its impacts, ambition and implementation must be
accelerated rapidly.
Responding to the findings, Al Jaber said that “to keep
1.5 within reach we must act with ambition and urgency to
reduce emissions by 43% by 2030.”
He said it was possible to deliver on the ambitious agenda

© Greenpeace/Island Roots Sepesa Rasili, Senior Campaigner with Greenpeace © The Roving Rovas/Greenpeace

Australia Pacific

Climate change impacts in Vunato, Fiji: Clothes, shoes and household items have
been discarded in bulk by members of the community, due to flood and water
damage.

of fast-tracking the energy transition, fixing climate finance,
focusing on people, lives and livelihoods, and “underpinning “This will be contentious and there will be stiff opposition
everything with full inclusivity”, but “we must urgently in particular from economies that are heavily dependent on
disrupt business as usual and unite like never before to move fossil fuels,” said Tevi.
from ambition to action and from rhetoric to real results.” Sepesa Rasili, Senior Campaigner with Greenpeace Australia
In his letter to delegates, he proposed an ambitious, four- Pacific, said the watering down of language in the leadup
part plan for COP28: to COP28 is “very concerning, for example, ‘phasing down
• Fast-tracking the energy transition and slashing emissions demand for fossil fuels’, rather than what we actually need —
before 2030; a firm commitment to ending all new fossil fuels.”
• Transforming climate finance, by delivering on old promises Rasili pointed to Australia, the world’s third largest exporter
and setting the framework for a new deal on finance; of fossil fuels and which has 116 fossil fuel projects in the
• Putting nature, people, lives, and livelihoods at the heart pipeline, with the government approving its fourth new coal
of climate action; mine this year.
• Mobilising for the most inclusive COP ever. “It’s clear that while the Australian government wants to
Richie Merzian, International Director of Smart Energy stand ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ with the Pacific, it is not listening
Council, the peak independent body for Australia’s smart to what the Pacific is saying — and that is no new coal and
energy industry, is not overly optimistic about any outcomes gas, no fossil fuel subsidies, and a commitment to a Loss and
on the fossil fuel issue at this year’s COP. Damage mechanism that is fair and places the human rights of
“The COP28 President stated the fossil fuel phase-out is the community at its center,” he told Islands Business.
inevitable. What is missing is a timeline for how quickly fossil If anything, the natural progression for COP28 will be
fuels need to phase-out. The first step is to stop making to follow on from the COP27 decision to establish and
the problem worse—no new coal, oil or gas mines should be operationalise a loss and damage fund, particularly for nations
most vulnerable to the climate crisis.

Pacific COP
Merzian said if a COP is brought to the Pacific region in
“We are looking to pursue legal avenues to further 2026, “which is looking likely, then we can make sure that
push the throttle or push the envelope as far as
climate ambition and action is concerned.” at a Pacific COP31, fossil fuel phase-out is the number one
- Vanuatu’s Permanent Representative to the item on the agenda. It’s why the Smart Energy Council fully
United Nations, Odo Tevi
supports the [Australian government] bid for COP31 in our
region.”
He said investors and renewable energy developers are
“lined up, ready to go”, to transition the Australian grid to
approved. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be on the COP renewables but the government is bogged down in regulatory
agenda this year,” Merzian told Islands Business. barriers and delays. “What we need is bold leadership from
In response to questions from this magazine, Odo Tevi, the Australian government to treat global warming like a crisis
Vanuatu’s Permanent Representative to the UN, said and transition with the urgency required. And it should be
addressing the root cause of climate change means phasing fully committed to helping its neighbours do the same.”
out fossil fuels and enabling an accelerated global just He suggested that discussions by Pacific Islands Forum
transition. (PIF) Energy Ministers of a proposal for a Pacific Energy

Islands Business, October 2023 19