Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) need real finance when transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Tuvalu’s Minister for Climate Change, Dr Maina Talia, said this during a press conference at the PSIDS Ministerial Dialogue on Global Just Transition in Port Vila.
“When we talk about just transition, we are literally talking about real finance that is delivered without red tape and that supports communities,” he said.
While most PSIDS, including Vanuatu, have set ambitious 100 per cent renewable energy targets, they lack finance and face challenges in accessing it, which limits progress.
“We have made commitments to transition away from fossil fuels, but we lack the resources to make the transition ourselves,” said Palau’s Environment Minister Steven Victor.
“The technology is there, but we cannot access it because we lack finance. Even when we do, it is still very expensive due to economies of scale.”
International climate finance, provided by those most responsible for historical greenhouse gas emissions, is essential to help the Pacific build strong renewable energy sectors and move toward a fossil fuel free future.
Failing to act will increase the cost of transition and adaptation, Minister Victor said.
“Not keeping the 1.5°C target within reach means some of our islands may disappear, and the cost of adaptation will continue to rise,” he said.
Vanuatu and six other Pacific Island countries established the “Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific”, urging Pacific and global leaders to phase out coal, oil, and gas and to support a Fossil Fuel Non Proliferation Treaty.
For the first time, world leaders will convene in Santa Marta, Colombia, at the end of this month for a conference on fossil fuel transition.
The Pacific region is consistently at the forefront of pushing for a fossil fuel treaty because it is a matter of survival. Pacific leaders hope that high emitting countries take accountability for their actions and help accelerate the transition.
“We are not asking the world for handouts. We are asking the world to help us save our Blue Pacific continent, which will save the future of humanity. It is the very resource that we rely on,” said Tuvalu’s minister.
‘Science has shown that there is no liveable future on this planet without a healthy ocean. We need those financial resources and technical capacity to help us achieve that, not only for us, but for the world.
‘When we go to Santa Marta, we will bring the same Pacific leadership we have shown in other climate forums, that together we can address this challenge.”
In the face of intensifying climate impacts, PSIDS have demonstrated consistent moral clarity, political resolve, and a willingness to advance approaches to global climate governance.
