Pacific leaders and delegations attending COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, have not travelled half away across the world to watch “the future” of island nations being sacrificed at the “altar of appeasement of the world’s worst emitters.”
The message came from Fiji’s Prime Minister, Hon. Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, during the opening ceremony of the World Leaders Summit at COP26 in Glasgow on Monday.
“The existence of our low-lying neighbours is not at the negotiating table, 1.5 is alive and it is possible,” he said. “Humanity doesn’t lack the resources, technology, projects or innovative potential to achieve it, all that’s missing is the courage to act, the courage to choose our grandchildren’s future over shareholder greed and corporate carbon agreement interests.”
Prime Minister Bainimarama had served as President of COP23 and co-Chair of the first UN Conference on Oceans. Given the dual nature of the oceans and climate crises, he has remained a fierce advocate for global recognition of the oceans-climate nexus, a point he raised during his address.
“The science is clear, no city, no community and no ecosystem will be spared from the reckoning that lies beyond 1.5 degrees of warming, including our oceans the lungs of the planet,” said Mr Bainimarama. “We have fallen so far off course that only bold and courageous actions would suffice. 2060 is too late; empty promises of mid-century emissions are not enough.”
The Fiji Prime Minister recalled that at COP21 in Paris, 1.5 was the compromise that Fiji struck alongside all of the world’s most climate vulnerable nations.
“We knew then all the human tragedy that level of warming would mean but it ensured at the very least that low lying island nations and communities would survive. Six years on where has that goodwill gotten us? “
“The world’s collective climate commitments will see us fly past 1.5 by the end of decade. We are losing the race to net zero to a collision of carbon addicts who would rather fight for coal than for a future of good jobs and innovative industries created by climate ambition.”
Mr Bainimarama called out leaders who make pledges but do not have a plan of implementation.
“They even seek to spin the science, but we cannot let them write out the urgency of accelerating action. Clean coal, sustainable natural gas, and ethical oil are all figments of the selfish mind. No matter what we call them, carbon emissions are wrecking the climate. There’s nothing clean, natural or ethical about it.”
He called on all high emitting countries to half global emissions by 2030.
“All G20 nations who are prepared to make those commitments must demand the same from others, we have moral authority, you have a moral obligation,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“Together, our coalition of the willing can keep 1.5 alive, keep low-lying island nations above water, keep erratic and severe weather from devastating us all and keep the trust between nations so we can keep faith that our children and grandchildren will have a future. That includes making good on the promise of a $100 billion in climate finance.”
Hon. Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, presented at the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government at COP26 on Monday, 1 November 2021 in Glasgow.
The High-Level event is taking place on 1 and 2 November 2021. The Twenty-Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 31 October – 12 November, 2021. Approximately 140 Pacific island delegates are attending. To view the live webcast of this session of the high-level segment, please visit: https://unfccc-cop26.streamworld.de/webcast/first-part-of-the-high-leve…-
ENDS….
This is a transcript of what Prime Minister Bainimarama said:
“Bula. At COP21 in Paris, 1.5 was the compromise that Fiji struck alongside all of the world’s most climate vulnerable nations. We knew then all the human tragedy that level of warming would mean but it ensured at the very least that low lying island nations and communities would survive. Six years on where has that goodwill gotten us?
The world’s collective climate commitments will see us fly past 1.5 by the end of decade. We are losing the race to net zero to a collision of carbon addicts who would rather fight for coal than for a future of good jobs and innovative industries created by climate ambition. These leaders make pledges but won’t show us plans. They even seek to spin the science, but we cannot let them write out the urgency of accelerating action. Clean coal, sustainable natural gas, and ethical oil are all figments of the selfish mind.
No matter what we call them, carbon emissions are wrecking the climate. There’s nothing clean, natural or ethical about it. Other leaders pursuit of policy of appeasement, they sit idly by as their high emitting counterparts destroy our children’s futures.
The science is clear, no city, no community and no ecosystem will be spared from the reckoning that lies beyond 1.5 degrees of warming, including our oceans the lungs of the planet.
We have fallen so far off course that only bold and courageous actions would suffice. 2060 is too late; empty promises of midcentury emissions are not enough. All high emitting countries must half global emissions by 2030, all G20 nations who are prepared to make those commitments must demand the same from others, we have moral authority, you have a moral obligation.
Together, our coalition of the willing can keep 1.5 alive, keep low-lying island nations above water, keep erratic and severe weather from devastating us all and keep the trust between nations so we can keep faith that our children and grandchildren will have a future, that includes making good of the promise of a $100 billion in climate finance.
We Pacific nations have not travelled to the other end of the world to watch our future sacrifice at the altar of appeasement of the world’s worst emitters. The existence of our low-lying neighbours is not at the negotiating table, 1.5 is alive and it is possible. Humanity doesn’t lack the resources, technology, projects or innovative potential to achieve it, all that’s missing is the courage to act, the courage to choose our grandchildren’s future over shareholder greed and corporate carbon agreement interests.
What more fitting place than the United Kingdom, the birthplace of the industrial age, to summon the will, to secure the commitments to begin a cleaner, greener and pure revolution.”
