Pacific Island leaders discuss developing a regional Pacific roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels at pre-COP, alongside BOGA
At Pre-COP in Fiji, six weeks out from COP31, Pacific Island Ministers and representatives discussed their intention to develop a regional roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels.
At a high-level event as part of the Vale ni Vanua Knowledge Exchange alongside the Pre-COP, speakers from the region reaffirmed their vision for 100% renewable energy and for a fossil fuel free Pacific, alongside international partners including the COP30 Presidency, BOGA, the NDC Partnership and the Asian Development Bank.
Discussion on the regional Pacific roadmap builds on the establishment of a Pacific Renewable Energy Commissioner, which was approved by Leaders at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau in August. The Commissioner is expected to help accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and progress towards a 100 percent renewable energy future for the Pacific. The proposed Roadmap would help turn the Pacific’s leadership on ambition into action and overcome known barriers to transition in the Pacific, including the challenge of scale.
The Pacific has a long history of collaboration and leadership on the global transition away from fossil fuels. The Port Vila call in 2023 called for a global phase out of coal, oil and gas production, and for a Regional Energy Commissioner to support a just transition in the Pacific. The Pacific Islands played a central role in delivering the world’s first agreement to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28, and in leading the Mutirao Call for a Fossil Fuel Roadmap at COP30.
The proposed Pacific Regional Roadmap comes amid soaring fossil fuel import bills, and renewed efforts to accelerate the scaling of renewable energy, and in the wake of UNEP reporting that an overshoot of the 1.5C limit is now inevitable. Alongside the COP30 Presidency Roadmap, BOGA and the NDC Partnership announced support for oil and gas-dependent economies that want to develop Roadmaps. More details about the Fund and opportunities for oil and gas dependent economies can be found here. The Asian Development Bank also established a Just Transition Support Platform for the region.
Speakers at the event included:
- Tina Stege, COP31 Pacific Envoy and & Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands
- Reverend James Sri Bhagwan, General Secretary, Pacific Conference of Churches
- Andre Correa do Lago, COP30 President
- Maina Vakafua Talia, Minister for Home Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Tuvalu
- Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, Vanuatu
- Eddie Megao, Deputy Managing Director of the National Energy Authority, Papua New Guinea
- Jess Gasper Jr, Minister in Assistance to the President and Minister of Environment, Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Sindra Sharma, International Policy Lead, Pacific Islands Climate Action Network
- Ole Thonke, Climate Ambassador, Denmark
- Yevgeniy Zhukov, Director General, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department, Asian Development Bank
