01/07/2024
Leading from the Frontline: A History of Pacific Climate Diplomacy
Pacific Island states have, for decades, considered climate change a threat to their security. In 1991, island leaders declared global warming and sea level rise as serious environmental threats, and that their ‘cultural, economic and physical survival’ was at risk. Pacific Island countries have since played a disproportionate role in United Nations climate negotiations, working as a diplomatic bloc to shape new rules and to drive multilateral cooperation to reduce emissions. Pacific Island states have also sought greater recognition of climate change as a security threat. This article considers the history of Pacific climate diplomacy. It explains how Pacific Island countries have played a key role in the global response to the climate crisis and outlines the history of regional climate politics in the Pacific Islands Forum. We also focus on recurring tensions between Pacific Island states and Australia with regard to ambition to tackle climate change.
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Privileged to collaborate with Wes Morgan and Fulori Uluilakeba who pushed this publication through.This article is based on years of research, including field research at the annual UN climate negotiations, at the UN in New York, and at regional ministerial and leaders' meetings in the Pacific.
I am grateful to the community of negotiators and Pacific leaders who have allowed us into their world to capture their stories. This is our attempt to piece together the history of climate negotiations from the world of negotiators.
But there is more. This is part of ongoing research in Pacific Climate Diplomacy and Oceanic diplomacy Department of Pacific Affairs Linking community and individuals to regional politics and international politics - the Pacific are continuously shaping the future agenda on climate change.
We hope this article will be useful for scholars, researchers, students, government officials, climate negotiators and civil society organisations who are thinking about Pacific island countries and global climate diplomacy.
We think this history is particularly important to tell now, as Australia prepares to co-host the UN climate talks (COP31) with Pacific island nations in 2026.
The full article is available here as an open-access publication here:
Pacific Island states have, for decades, considered climate change a threat to their security. In 1991, island leaders declared global warming and sea level rise as serious environmental threats, a...
