This year’s United Nations Ocean Conference was held in Nice, France from June 9th to June 13th. The conference was co-hosted by Costa Rica and France, and it brought together over 55 heads of state. Overall, having around 15,000 participants and 450 side events, the conference was definitely one to remember. Though the conference celebrated many of the international scene’s accomplishments, Pacific Island leaders expressed concern that global action is not matching the urgency of climate-change-induced sea-level rise.
For Pacific Island nations, sea-level rise and climate change are not just a harmful environmental risk, but a possibly fatal security risk. Pacific Island countries are pushing for change, so how will the UN respond?
The History Behind the Advocacy
Pacific Island nations have been advocating for years for the world to pay attention to climate change and put more effort into addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tuvalu, the 189th member to join the UN, has been a very instrumental player in emphasizing the effect climate change has given the country’s vulnerability to its impacts. For example, in June 2007, Prime Minister Apisai Lelemia wrote in the UN Chronicle that climate change was the "one issue that strikes at the heart of my nation." On the 29th of September, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Sakaio concluded his speech to the General Debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly with the words, "please save Tuvalu against climate change. Save Tuvalu in order to save yourself, the world."
They haven’t been the only players though. On the 21st of September, 2023, the Presidents of Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Micronesia, and Nauru called for accelerated climate action, urging major emitters worldwide to commit to substantial reductions in emissions by 2030. On the 14th of February, 2023, Vanuatu requested an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the obligations of States with respect to climate change. The reason for these cases is because Pacific Island nations have gotten tired of the empty promises proposed by the leading emissions emitters, and are still looking for real action.
The Problem and the Effects
At its core, the problem is climate-change induced sea-level rise. As a result, coastlines are vanishing, territories are washing away, and resources, like freshwater and farmland, have become scarce while masses of people are displaced. As this issue gets more severe every year, it is not just a nation’s safety that is put at risk, but its statehood. For example, Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo warned last year that, by 2050, over 50 percent of Tuvalu’s territory will be uninhabitable.
The disappearance of land isn’t the only issue. Most Pacific Island countries and territories rely heavily on their fishing industry to bring in revenue. Kiribati earns 71 percent of its government revenue from fishing fleets; Tuvalu 54 percent, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia 48 percent; Nauru 31 percent. The Cook Islands earn 11 percent and the Solomon Islands earn 10 percent from their fishing industry. If essential fish like tuna are repulsed by the warmer water temperatures, these nations would face decreases in both their food supply and job market, compromising their economies.
Another problem Pacific Island countries are calling attention to is deep-sea mining. Deep-sea mining is extremely harmful to fragile ocean ecosystems and leads to biodiversity loss, and Pacific leaders called for a moratorium on the activity.
Where do we go from here?
Pacific leaders aren’t looking for handouts; they want the nations that are causing their plight to take responsibility and draft international law safeguarding the statehood and maritime boundaries of Pacific Island Countries in the case that these islands eventually become uninhabitable.
The US has just recently fast-tracked a deep-sea mining operation. In response, the President of Palau said, “It’s our job now as the Pacific to stand up and say, this direction could be detrimental to all of us that depend on the Pacific Ocean and the ocean, and we ask that you act responsibly for humankind and for the Pacific.” Pacific Islanders have always stood up for the environment, and it is high time the UN recognizes and rewards their efforts.
In a time of global turmoil and regional wars, diplomacy cannot be left to sink underneath the waves. The UN must rise to meet the challenge and every country must adopt tangible measures at the national level if the world hopes to save Pacific Island countries from total collapse.