Plugging Away At Climate Change Safety Threats To Pacific Islands

2026-03-21 - 07:34

Badly Damaged Road Vaitele From Heavy Rainfall On The Well Traveled Road The ongoing downpour of sporadic rainfall in recent weeks in Samoa is becoming a nagging reminder of climate change and the risks on the wellbeing of our Pacific Island region. Safety concerns are constant and collective from the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at the very top, to all other sectors of the islands community. A more recent occasion was the sharing of views at the ‘ Regional Climate Security Dialogue’ in Brisbane, Australia. Forum Deputy Secretary, Ms Desna Solofa, underlined the regional leaders climate worries while welcoming delegates. In her address set out below, Solofa assured the gathering that the threat is top priority to the Forum leaders : “Pacific Leaders have been clear for many years that climate change is the single greatest threat to their livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific. This understanding was firmly established when Pacific Leaders adopted the Boe Declaration on Regional Security in 2018, which expanded the concept of security in our region to reflect the realities faced by Pacific peoples. The Boe Declaration recognised that security in the Pacific must be understood comprehensively, encompassing human security, environmental security and the resilience of our communities and ecosystems. Following this, Leaders endorsed the Boe Declaration Action Plan in 2019, which provided a practical roadmap for translating this recognition into regional action. Forum Deputy Secretary, Ms Desna Solofa Since then, the region has taken important steps to strengthen our understanding and response to climate-related security risks. This includes: The Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Declaration on Sea Level Rise and Statehood, reflecting the region’s determination to safeguard sovereignty, identity and rights in the face of existential climate threats. The development of national security policies across the region recognising climate change as a key national security risk. The Pacific Regional Framework on Climate Mobility and its associated implementation plan. The Pacific Regional Guide on Climate Security Assessment. The Kainaki II Declaration, a landmark commitment by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in 2019, declaring a climate crisis and demanding urgent global action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. It is the strongest climate statement by the Forum, calling for increased emissions cuts and climate finance. While our understanding and response has deepened, the threat that our Leaders collectively identified in 2018 has not diminished. In fact, it is now more acute than ever. Global emissions continue to rise, and the world is not on track to meet the 1.5-degree limit that Pacific Leaders have consistently called for. Instead, we are heading toward a world that is significantly warmer, with increasing risks of hitting climate tipping points that could reshape environmental systems across the planet. For the Pacific, climate change is not only an environmental issue. It is a defining peace and security challenge for our region, and one that is not only about territorial Defence, but also about the wellbeing, dignity and resilience of our people and ecosystems. Climate change is already affecting coastal communities, food systems, water resources, ecosystems and national development pathways. These impacts are not experienced equally – women, youth, persons with disabilities, and marginalised groups often face heightened risks. Ensuring Gender Equality and Social Inclusion are central to our climate security dialogue, strengthens resilience and promotes peace across all communities. The Boe Declaration, through its expanded concept of security, provides the regional guidance for embracing a comprehensive approach that places human security at its centre. As these pressures of climate change intensify, the peace and security implications will also become clearer and more complex. The Blue Pacific as an Ocean of Peace Declaration endorsed by Forum Leaders last year reflects a distinctly Pacific understanding of peace and security. It is one that emphasises cooperation over competition, prevention over reaction and collective stewardship of our shared ocean and environment. In this context, addressing climate security is not only about managing risks. It is about protecting the conditions that allow peace, stability and prosperity to endure across the Blue Pacific. Climate, peace and security must therefore be understood as a core pillar of sustaining our Ocean of Peace. Later this year the international community will gather for pre-COP31, which will be hosted in Fiji, supported by under the COP31 partnership framework. For the Pacific, COP31 represents an important opportunity to continue elevating the region’s voice on issues that are central to our future, including: protecting the 1.5°C temperature limit, strengthening climate finance, advancing loss and damage, and supporting communities facing existential risks from sea level rise. The work undertaken through this Dialogue will help strengthen the regional evidence base on the peace and security implications of climate change and will support Pacific leadership in these global discussions. This Dialogue brings together a diverse range of expertise. We have climate scientists and adaptation specialists. We have practitioners working on climate finance and international climate processes. We have experts from the peacebuilding community, who understand the social and political dynamics within communities. And we have security practitioners, who bring perspectives from national and regional security institutions. Each of these perspectives is important. But the real challenge lies in bringing them together. Climate change does not operate in isolated sectors. Its impact cut across environmental systems, economic systems, governance structures and social relationships. Understanding the peace and security implications of climate change therefore requires bridging these fields of knowledge and practice. Forum Members are advancing the development of a Regional Peace and Security Action Plan, which will integrate the Boe Declaration and the Ocean of Peace Declaration under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. One of the proposed strategic focus areas in the consultation draft is Climate, Peace and Security, and this dialogue provides an opportunity to draw on the experience of Forum Members and partners to help shape how this priority is reflected in the Action Plan. That is the task before us. Over the coming days, I encourage participants to engage openly in this discussion. To share lessons from national experiences. To explore where the gaps remain, and to identify practical ways that the region can continue strengthening its approach to anticipating and responding to the peace and security implications of climate change. By working together, we can continue advancing a Pacific-led approach that protects our communities, strengthens resilience, and supports the vision of a peaceful and secure Blue Pacific Continent.” (Forum Deputy Secretary, Desna Solofa, Welcoming Address At ‘ Regional Climate Security Dialogue’ in Brisbane, Australia)