Addressing the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) for the first time as Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Te’o did not mince words when referring to the urgent need for course-correction to keep the hope of 1.5 alive.
“I am acutely conscious of the greenhouse emissions trajectory we are on,” Prime Minister Te’ o said. “We must therefore accelerate climate actions. This must be the COP that puts us back on track to a 1.5 degree Celsius trajectory. For Tuvalu and other similarly placed countries, there is simply no time to waste.”
Speaking during the Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Te’o addressed fellow world leaders as the leader of a country that is not only one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but also one that is forecast to experience regular flooding and tidal surges to 50 percent of its total land territory by 2050 – a mere 26 years away.
Global greenhouse gas emissions reached a new record high in 2024, with a staggering 41.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere – a 0.8 percent increase from 2023.
Tuvalu, along with all Pacific countries, bear the brunt of the impacts of an increasingly warming planet despite contributing less than 0.003% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Prime Minister Te’o called for clear direction from this COP, saying this is necessary, if not imperative, to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.
The small atoll nation, with a population of 11,000 people, continues to show leadership and punch well above its weight to ensure that they are part of the solution to an issue that is not of their making, but is threatening their very survival.
The Government of Tuvalu has set an ambitious target to reach 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2030. A major step towards achieving this target was taken earlier this year, with the completion of a solar farm on the main island of Funafuti that will meet a significant portion of its electricity needs.
Prime Minister Te’o also called for COP29 as the Finance COP to conclude the New Collective Quantified Goal on Finance to ensure that it delivers the necessary finance to support developing countries in meeting their ambitious mitigation and adaptation goals.
He also made it clear that the new goal should be significantly higher than the US$100 billion per year goal set in 2009.
Tuvalu is currently in the process of finalising its first National Adaptation Plan, which will consolidate adaptation priorities across the six identified priority sectors of water, agriculture, education, health, disaster, and coastal protection. The financing from this new fund will provide much needed support for Tuvalu to implement these adaptation plans for more resilient national infrastructures and services.
“This COP must also deliver a clear process to ensure the necessary finance is delivered to the Loss and Damage fund, and we call for a consultation process that will explore innovative sources of finance for the Fund,” he said.
Prime Minister Te’o concluded that Tuvalu hopes that this COP’s concluding decisions will deliver a clear signal that the world is promptly phasing out fossil fuels.
Tuvalu endorsed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2022 at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, with the goal of stopping the expansion of any new coal, oil and gas production, wind down existing fossil fuel productions in line with the 1.5 degrees temperature goal, and support and sufficiently finance a global transition to renewable energy.
The Prime Minister addressed world leaders at the Leaders Forum held on 13 November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
