The Pacific Islands have long served as a moral compass in global climate negotiations, consistently calling for equity, ambition, and justice.
At COP29, that call was once again ignored, leaving vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of the climate crisis while the richest nations turned their backs on their legal and moral obligations.
This COP was framed as the “finance COP,” a critical moment to address the glaring gaps in climate finance and advance other key agenda items. However, not only did COP29 fail to deliver adequate finance, but progress also stalled on crucial issues like fossil fuel phase-out, Loss and Damage, and the Just Transition Work Plan. The outcomes represent a catastrophic failure to meet the scale of the crisis, leaving vulnerable nations to face escalating risks with little support.
The multilateral process has not failed; it is the developed countries within the process that have failed, continuing their decades-long attempts to dismantle global climate cooperation. Their unwillingness to honour commitments and provide adequate financial support undermines the principles of equity and justice at the heart of the Paris Agreement, shifting the burden of climate action away from those most responsible for the crisis.
The so-called new climate finance goal—a USD$300 billion annual target by 2035—relies heavily on loans rather than grants, pushing developing nations further into debt. Worse, this figure represents little more than the long-promised US$100 billion target adjusted for inflation. It does not address the growing costs of adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage faced by vulnerable nations. In fact, it explicitly ignores any substantive decision to include loss and damage just acknowledging it.
The fight for climate justice does not end in Baku. It is shifting to other arenas where Pacific leadership is driving transformative change. The upcoming hearings for the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on climate change and the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative—both spearheaded by Pacific nations—offer real hope for holding nations accountable and ratcheting up ambition. As we head to INC-5 to negotiate the plastics treaty, this is another process that is critical to end the life of fossil fuels. We have hope for the generations just beyond our reach, still within our sight.
Rufino Varea, Regional Director, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network said:“What was passed in Baku is not a deal; it’s a death sentence for millions. The Pacific Islands have been clear: climate finance must be grants-based and responsive to the needs of frontline communities. Instead, developed countries are handing us debt while dismantling the principles of equity and justice that the Paris Agreement was built on. This is a betrayal, plain and simple.”
Dr Sindra Sharma, Senior Policy and Governance Advisor, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network said:“While finance was the headline agenda at COP29, other critical issues needed progress too. Instead, we saw stagnation across the board. The reliance on market based instruments in the so-called finance deal is a major setback, forcing vulnerable nations into cycles of debt when we need grants to rebuild and adapt. Worse, this US$300 billion pledge ignores the scale of the crisis—it’s essentially the same US$100 billion goal, repackaged without ambition or justice. To make matters worse it includes contributions by developing countries in this inexplicablly small figure. Without accessible, grants-based funding, Pacific nations cannot effectively adapt, mitigate, or recover from Loss and Damage. This is not just bad policy; it’s bad economics and bad ethics.
“This horrendous outcomes also falls at the feet of the economists in the High Level Expert Group on Climate Finance for proposing an investment centric approach to the quantification, failing to recognise equity, justice and the reality of the crisis we are in.”
Trevor Williams, Coordinator, Vanuatu Climate Action Network said:“At COP29, we witnessed developed nations systematically dismantling the principles of equity enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Their unwillingness to contribute sufficient finance, phase out fossil fuels, or strengthen their NDCs demonstrates a deliberate attempt to evade responsibility. COP29 has taught us that if optionality exists, developed countries will exploit it to stall progress.”
Richard Gokrun, Executive Director, Tuvalu Climate Action Network said:“For the Pacific, and for Tuvalu where each day the sea encroaches to swallow our atolls, this outcome is personal. Every fraction of a degree in warming translates into lost lives, cultures, and homelands. Yet, the calls of the Pacific and other vulnerable nations were silenced in Baku. From the weakened Loss and Damage fund to the rollback on Just Transition principles, this COP has failed to deliver justice on any front.”
Robert Karoro, Coordinator, Kiribati Climate Action Netork said:“For Kiribati, this COP was a failure on every front. Finance fell far short, Loss and Damage was weakened, and there was no meaningful commitment to phasing out fossil fuels. Our communities cannot wait for empty promises to materialise—we need action that addresses the root causes of the crisis and supports our survival.”
Joseph Sikulu, Managing Director, 350.org Pacific, said:“The UN climate talks are not a perfect negotiating space, but they are critical for the global community to address the global problem that is the climate crisis. This COP, which occurred against a burdensome geopolitical backdrop and at the end of the hottest year on record, was not viewed with hope from the beginning. And in the end, it proved to be disappointing. It failed to deliver what we came for—grants at scale to keep our world habitable, money for adaptation and loss and damage, with fair contributions from countries who have done the most to contribute to the climate crisis.
“At COP29, rich countries have failed to pay up for what they’ve broken and to support nations facing the harshest impacts. Nevertheless, it is crucial we defend multilateralism—not just with words, but with actions. Now, we turn our focus to Belem, for COP30 in the Brazilian Amazon. We must hold steadfast in our convictions and work harder than we ever have. We will be gathering alongside a never-before-seen coalition of Indigenous and civil society partners, and we will turn this around. We know the money exists. We are running out of time, but rich countries are running out of excuses.”
Allan Taman , Chairman, Santo Sunset Environment Network (Vanuatu) said:“What happened at COP29 in Azerbaijan is an unacceptable outcome for the villages of the Pacific that our now losing their lands, livelihoods and lives because of industrialized countries’ continued expansion of fossil fuels, and rich countries’ failure to pay for their pollution. We are angry, and we will continue to fight for climate justice for indigenous islanders being let down by the Paris Agreement and even by our own governments. “
Shamenda Woi, PACCCIL/VCAN Network Officer ( Vanuatu) said: “The outcome of COP29 is unacceptable to the Pacific people, especially local communities who are at the frontline facing the daily impacts of Climate change. Developed countries have denied their responsibilities of providing sufficient finance and or strengthen their National Determined Contributions (NDC). COP29 taught us that people can lead and can be at the forefront of this fight, our survival is non-negotiable,” said Woi.
