What the COP28 climate summit could mean for Solomon Islands, Pacific Region

World leaders, business leaders, civil society groups and climate change advocates gather in oil-rich country of Dubai are in full force on discussing for the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) to find ways for vulnerable countries, like the Solomon Islands, to adapt and to mitigate the effects of climate Change.

This year’s climate summit marks the conclusion of the first Global Stock Take (GST), the mechanism that assessed the world’s progress towards fulfilling the 2015 Paris Agreement to increase climate action.

A United Nations report revealed that the world is not on track to limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of this century, putting climate-vulnerable countries in peril.

“It does recognize that countries are developing plans for a net-zero future, and the shift to Clean energy is gathering speed.”

This “makes clear that the transition is nowhere near fast enough yet to limit warming within the current ambitions,” according to the UN.

At the opening of COP28 on 30 November, more than 70,000 leaders made a landmark agreement to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund as agreed at COP27 in Egypt last year.

Solomon Islands and COP28

In Egypt last year, Solomon Islands delegation told world leaders during a Tok Stori on Pacific as Indigenous guardians of global climate and biodiversity commons that Solomon Islands cannot wait for another COP.

Solomon Islands has been on a costly road of recovery from disasters and crisis after crisis because of climate change and called on those responsible for climate change to show some urgency to countries badly affected by climate change.

A day after COP28 agreed to operationalize the loss and damage fund, Solomon Islands made a submission to the UNFCCC Secretariat seeking definition of ‘Climate Change Finance’. This is very important as Solomon Islands is pushing for new and additional sources of finance and seeking this definition could spell out clearly the types of finances separately from Overseas Development Assistance.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry responsible for Climate Change Dr Melchior Mataki said the impacts of climate change is beyond all the development challenges faced by Solomon Islands which is why it is important that new and additional resources are mobilized.

“To mobilize new and additional resources effectively in this process, it is good to have a definition of Climate Change Finance. This could hold developed countries accountable as to which financial assistance would go towards climate change adaptation, mitigation and Loss and Damage,” Dr Mataki said.

What else is on the table for Solomon Islands at COP28

Solomon Islands like any other developing countries suffering from the impacts of climate change have key expectations to achieve at the COP level.

This includes;

• Operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund in which COP28 has agreed to at day one. This could help Solomon Islands respond and recover from the impacts of climate change
•  Global Stock Take (GST). COP28 provides the first opportunity for countries under the Paris Agreement to assess the progress on increasing climate action. Solomon Islands is pushing for limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
• Improved Access to Finance. Improving access to finance is also one of the key priorities for developing countries such as Solomon Islands at COP28. In this agenda, Solomon Islands is monitoring and negotiating on the commitment by developed countries to mobilize the $100 billion US agreed to in 2009 to assist developing countries address the impacts of climate change.

The Pacific Community Deputy Director for Disaster and Community Resilience, Exsley Taloiburi told SIBC that whatever outcome it may have, Solomon Islands is using COP28 as a key platform and opportunity to call for stronger action and outcomes.

The delegation to COP28 consisted of government officials and climate change advocates from the ministry responsible for climate change, Civil Society Organizations and youth representatives among others pushing for better outcomes for Solomon Islands at COP28.

ENDS///

By Fredrick Kusu

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

This story was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.