What Pacific Leaders Had to Say About Climate Change at the UN

Every Pacific leader who addressed the recent U.N. General Assembly cited climate change as the most pressing issue for the region’s 6 million residents with many supporting Australia’s bid to host the COP31 conference.

Together, they also approved a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision that finds states have a binding legal obligation to address the challenge.

The campaign which led to the landmark ruling started in the Pacific in 2019, and the leaders made it clear at the U.N. that they expected developed nations to abide by the ICJ’s determination.  

Nauru’s Leader Says Climate Change a ‘Direct Threat’

Nauru’s President David Adeang said climate change is a “direct threat” to his country’s peace, security and survival.

“Concrete climate action cannot be postponed any longer,” he said, adding that Nauru has placed hope in its Higher Ground Initiative, which would build climate-resilient communities on elevated land powered by renewable energy.

In addition, the Pacific Resilience Facility aims to deliver financing to Pacific communities for climate change.

Fiji Looking at How to Host Displaced Communities

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said G20 countries needed to lead the change, saying they were responsible for 80 percent of total carbon emissions.

He said that the fossil fuel industry continues to profit from its business activities, while “everyday people bear the costs of climate catastrophe—from rising insurance premiums to lost livelihoods.”

He said his government is looking at ways to host communities that may find it impossible to remain on their islands, and called for a new legal definition for these “displaced people.”

More Countries Should Join Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: Tuvalu

Tuvalu’s Feleti Teo said climate change and sea-level rises were the greatest security threats to his country, he reiterated his “strong international advocacy for the special case of Tuvalu as one of the most vulnerable countries.”

He called on all nations “that are serious about confronting the climate crisis” to join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, “and to act decisively to protect our planet and future generations.”

“It is my hope that the urgency to address the existential threat of climate change and sea-level rise would not be overshadowed by the ongoing geopolitical competition between the superpowers and the military conflicts around the globe,” he said.

Tonga Pushes for Australia to Host COP31

For Tonga, climate change “is not a remote threat but an unfolding reality that threatens to erase decades of development gains and imperils the very existence of our islands,” said Prime Minister ‘Aisake Eke.

He voiced support for Australia’s bid to host the COP31 calling it “a unique opportunity to bring the voices of small island developing states to the forefront of the global climate agenda.”

Tonga has adopted a legal framework to conserve biodiversity, manage resources sustainably, and protect the marine environment.

“The ocean “must not only be protected—it must be honoured as a foundation of our security, of our economies, our way of life—our legacy of resilience,” he said.

Samoa’s Leader Says Communities Could Lose Homes

Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo said the effects of climate change may mean Samoan communities risk losing traditional homelands as shorelines.

“Climate change remains the greatest existential threat to Samoa and other Pacific [developing states],” he said, and urged the 35 countries represented at the COP30 to “part of the solution [and] not the problem.”

New nationally determined contributions must reflect maximum ambition and include a 50 percent reduction in global emissions by 2030, he said.

Samoa also supports Australia’s bid to host COP31 on behalf of the Blue Pacific continent.

Kiribati Calls ICJ’s Climate Court Decision

Describing the recent ICJ decision as a “milestone” that ensures the existence of Kiribati and other vulnerable nations, Kiribati President Taneti Maamau said.

He also said it demonstrates “what the Blue Pacific can successfully achieve collectively and … secures the full legal certainty and permanence of our maritime zones, irrespective of the impacts of climate change.”

Marshall Islands Leader the Only One to Mention China

“We need the world to better understand that our security is linked to our fragility,” Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said.

“It is past time for the rich world to meet its obligations and get money to where it’s needed most,” the president said, emphasising that the $1 trillion climate finance gap must be closed.

Hers was the only Pacific Island leader’s address that directly discussed tensions in the region—she told the Assembly that U.N.’s Resolution 2758 does not confer or justify coercion or the seizure of sovereign control of Taiwan.

Palau Says Small Pacific Countries Fighting Their Own ‘War’

The world is at war as defence spending approaches an all-time high of $3 trillion annually, Palau’s Surangel Whipps said, with small island states like Palau fighting their own war.

“Our shores are being invaded by seawater. Our homes are being blown away by storms. Our roads are being washed away by torrential rain. Our reefs are overheating. Our fish are disappearing. And our land is on fire,” he said. “This is our daily battle.”

He applauded Australia’s leadership in setting clear strategies to meet its net-zero emissions target by 2050 and supporting the Pacific Island countries in accelerating the energy transition, noting, “Ambition without implementation is an empty promise.”

He said Palau also supports COP31 being a Pacific COP hosted by Australia and shaped in partnership with the Pacific islands.

Micronesia Says Climate Change Not Up for Debate

“The climate crisis is not up for debate, we all know that,” Micronesia’s Wesley Simina said.

“The only question now is whether we as leaders will act with the urgency it demands. Cutting methane now could prevent 0.3 degrees Celsius of warming by the 2040s, slowing ocean heating and buying us time for long-term decarbonisation,” he stressed.

Solomon Islands Calls it a ‘Crisis Multiplier’

For the Solomon Islands climate change represents a “crisis multiplier that is defining our future,” said Solomon Islands’ Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele.

He called for urgent action to put the world back on a track towards the agreed-upon goal of 1.5 degrees.

Large emission producers must drastically cut them, he said, voicing concerns that negotiations on a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution have stalled.

PNG Says Country’s Natural Resources a Great Asset

“Papua New Guinea is a forest nation and an ocean nation,” Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape told the General Assembly.

“Our tropical forests absorb carbon and produce oxygen. Our vast Pacific waters are part of the world’s greatest carbon sink. Our reefs, rivers, and ecosystems shelter unique biodiversity.”

Vanuatu Pushes for Next Steps After ICJ Decision

“For vulnerable nations, including small island developing States, this [ICJ] opinion is a powerful affirmation of our long-standing call: that climate change is an existential threat, and the world has a legal duty to respond,” said Vanuatu’s Odo Tevi, in his address.

Vanuatu will submit a follow-up resolution to the Assembly this year to affirm the Court’s findings and propose actions to give it practical effect.

But the ICJ is “only one tool to get us closer to the end goal of a safe planet for humanity,” he said, calling on all states to join those nations, which are proposing to include ecocide as the Rome Statute’s fifth independent crime.

International criminalisation of the severest environmental destruction can play a crucial role in deterring harm and protecting the rights of present and future generations, he said.

Timor-Leste Calls for Global Cooperation

Timor Leste’s representative Dionisio Soares said that “climate change is undermining already fragile food security, striking our countries with natural disasters that divert vital resources to reconstruction and humanitarian relief.”

Industrialised countries and major polluters must respect their commitments to the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Glasgow Climate Pact, he said.