3. November 2021

PACIFIC COP26 DEMANDS – The Blue Pacific Demands Climate Justice and Action

Statement by the Pacific Island Climate Action Network (PICAN)

The people and communities of the Blue Pacific are living in a climate emergency, a crisis that, sadly, continues to be ignored by many Parties, including those nearest to our islands, in the lead-up to COP26. We demand Justice and Action now.

As the organizations closest to and supporting Pacific Island people and communities, we reaffirm our role to put strong pressure on Leaders in the Pacific to step up, coordinate and demand transformational and just action from the global community at COP26.

The Pacific must lead the charge using our Pacific culture, tradition, and wisdom of ecological and social stewardship to bring us through the current global climate catastrophe. We are committed to a climate-stable Pacific future that is unified, intersectional, and intergenerational.

On behalf of Pacific peoples, communities, and CSOs, the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) makes the following demands to the Parties of the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) and the third session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA 3).

Top Line Messages

Fossil fuels are fossils, keep them in the ground to save the Pacific! No new coal, oil, or gas projects, and an immediate end to all fossil fuel subsidies, everywhere.
Show real commitment, your NDCs must limit global heating to 1.5 degrees, we’re already out of time in the islands. Sustained, radical, and socially just cuts to emissions are required now, not later.
Show us the money! Mobilize all of the promised US$100 billion annually until 2025, and agree that Polluters must Pay the trillions actually needed for resilient Pacific peoples and communities.
Loss and Damage is life and death in the Pacific: Your political will is required now to finance and deliver support to the Pacific people who are already losing everything.
Climate change is a symptom of deeper injustice and inequalities. Gender justice and women’s human rights and empowerment is a precondition for climate, social, economic, ecological, and climate justice
Climate justice will prevail. Your emissions are already responsible for the loss of universal human rights, and environmental rights of Pacific people, communities, and ecosystems. We will see you in courts of law, and in all other forums, to protect and retain our Rights.
Global climate negotiations at COP26 must be inclusive, intersectional, and intergenerational: Do not dare to marginalize the voices of Pacific Island peoples.