We bear the brunt of the climate crisis. A Pacific Cop could help shape the global response | Surangel Whipps Jr
WAtching from the West Pacific, we saw many describe the recent elections in Australia as a crucial moment for climate and energy policy. If this is the case, the people of Australia have spoken loudly and clearly.
Like many of us in the Pacific Ocean, most Australians wanted to get rid of the restrictions of “climatic wars” in the past decade and enter into a new era of responsible climate and energy policy, mock the unlimited capabilities of the great powers in renewable energy in Australia and help lead the Pacific and the world to a safer and more prosperous future.
By hosting next year Cop31 Australia, the Climate Conference with the Pacific Ocean, will have a single opportunity in the generation to stimulate all its clean transition to an integral economy of carbon, and raise its relationship with the Pacific Ocean to the highest level of foreign and strategic policy priorities. If it is well delivered over the next two years, these double goals may be seen in the end as the distinctive features of a nation that has successfully left climate culture wars for the sake of dead and discourages the legacy of the new climate leadership, and in conjunction with its Pacific neighbors.
As I said in COP29 last year in Baku, it is time for those who stand on the path of a great ambition for the Pacific Policeman to move aside. The Pacific Ocean did not host something physically, a policeman must be corrected – despite the full burden of the climate crisis -. In this specific contract, the Pacific Police will ensure that the most affected people can help form a global response.
COP31 will also be an opportunity to shed light on Australia’s efforts to accelerate its historically intense economy to carbon and show multiple benefits that can flow from renewable energy sources and new green industries. This will have an important demonstration in particular for the prosperous economies in the Asia Pacific region, which must be canceled for development paths if we want to avoid the great transgression of the goals of the Paris Agreement.
But in the end, the merit and credibility of an offer from Australia with the Pacific Ocean will depend on two factors.
First, the level of ambition that Australia showed in formulating the goal of reducing emissions for 2035 under the Paris Agreement. As the climate treaty says, the goal of each country must reflect the “highest possible ambition”. In other words, it should be a “extended goal” that is a challenge, but in the end on hand. I saw an analysis during My last visit to Sydney The contribution of the 1.5C alignment of Australia requires at least a decrease in the 1970s to greenhouse gas emissions that are less than 2005 by 2035.
Australia must also move moves to tackle the climate impact of its production in fossil fuels and its exports – still one of the three best fossil fuels in the world. As I said in Sydney, we urge the Australian government to stay away from new coal and gas developments, in line with the global momentum and the expectations of Pacific partners. Without this sign, questions may continue to continue the credibility of the potential leadership role in Australia in the United Nations process.
The second factor will be the cooperative spirit included in the Australian Pacific partnership on COP31. For example, there must be early moves to appoint common retributions in the Pacific Ocean for the main positions in the COP31 process, such as the role of the official presidency as well as “climate heroes” who seek to pay new climatic obligations from the private sector, regions, regions and local governments. But perhaps most importantly, Passevik policeman must hold the bare Paperik at the very highest level, bringing world leaders on the Pacific Coast of Australia to ensure the climate remains in the upper part of the global agenda.
More importantly, my colleagues in the Pacific Ocean see a great value in following up a new initiative to make the Pacific Ocean the first region in the world to become 100 % by renewable energy sources, whether in our islands or through the local use of electric ships. To form this initiative, I will host the leaders of the Pacific here in Palau In August 2026, we can work for the pre -COP31 gathering elsewhere in the region to direct international resources to this outstanding result.
The primary goal will be to accelerate the Pacific key from relying on expensive imported diesel and other fossil fuel to the generation of renewable energy much cheaper. For example, we look forward to more support from the Australian Pacific Infrastructure Forestry Foundation to complete the work quickly on Palau’s first solar project In NGATPANG with the addition of a battery power storage system (Bess).
To do this widely across the Pacific, it will require new flows of climate financing and its associated mechanism to help cancel the private sector investment. Either way, Australian leadership will be a key to showing how COP31 can deliver the area significantly.
The dairy government now has a clear clear mandate to make real progress in a matter between generations of extreme importance – at home, in the region and on the global stage. It is an opportunity that Australia now must seize with both hands, along with her family in the Pacific Ocean.
