PACIFIC
DEMANDS
A collective call to the global community from Pacific Island nations for urgent and just climate action that addresses the unique challenges they face, including accountability for climate impacts, fair access to climate finance, reparations for loss and damage, and the protection of Indigenous rights, cultures, and lands for future generations.
PACIFIC CLIMATE JUSTICE
DEMANDS
The 1.5°C Imperative and the Triple Planetary Crisis
Preamble: The 1.5°C Imperative in a World of Crisis
We are living through a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity collapse, and pollution. Six of nine planetary boundaries have already been breached, pushing Earth's systems toward irreversible tipping points with devastating consequences for our Pacific home. The 1.5°C survival limit is nearly out of reach, as global emissions should have peaked by 2025. We reject the false trade-offs between energy and nature or development and health. This is not a negotiation; it is a demand for survival, justice, and the reclamation of our future. We choose the word demand with purpose, as a call to immediate and comprehensive action.
1. Uphold Pacific Sovereignty and Solidarity
Our demands are grounded in the principles of self-determination, human rights, and Pacific leadership. We demand a reclaiming of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific, led by Pacific people and centered on equity and social inclusion.
Stand in Solidarity. We stand with all Indigenous Peoples and our Pacific kin under colonial occupation in the fight for self-determination, peace, and security.
Demilitarize Our Ocean. We reject the militarisation of the Blue Pacific, which fuels the triple crisis through emissions and toxic pollution. We demand a demilitarized, nuclear-free ocean, a reallocation of military spending to climate finance, and nuclear justice for communities harmed by past testing.
Enforce Legal Obligations. The advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) have created a new legal foundation. We demand that all states recognize and comply with their legal obligations to prevent climate harm, protect the marine environment from GHG pollution, and ensure that sea-level rise does not extinguish Pacific statehood or maritime boundaries.
2. Enact a Just Degrowth Transition: A Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific
A just and equitable degrowth transition requires a planned downscaling of material and energy consumption to live within planetary boundaries. This must be achieved by phasing out fossil fuels, not by pursuing false "green" fixes that deepen extraction and create new sacrifice zones.
Immediate Fossil Fuel Phase-Out. We demand an unequivocal and immediate halt to all new fossil fuel projects everywhere and a rapid phase-out of existing production. We demand that all Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) show clear phase-out dates and binding commitments to no further expansion of any fossil fuel, including gas. As clarified by the International Court of Justice, NDCs must reflect the highest possible ambition to achieve 1.5°C through stringent due diligence and good-faith cooperation. We expect the COP30 outcome to mandate that countries with inadequate progression go back to the drawing board and adjust their NDCs to align with this survival limit.
Reject False Solutions. We categorically reject offsets, carbon markets, geoengineering, and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as dangerous distractions. We demand a global, legally binding ban on geoengineering, designating the Pacific as a no-go zone. The only pathway is a rapid shift to renewable, locally owned energy, grounded in free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).
End Extractive Models. We demand a permanent ban on deep-seabed mining (DSM) in all Pacific waters and on the high seas. The Pacific Ocean is one of the world's largest carbon sinks; it is not for sale.
3. Protect Our Oceans and Biodiversity
As Big Ocean States, we demand integrated action that treats the ocean as our planetary life-support system.
Ratify Treaties, Implement Protections. We demand the immediate ratification and implementation of the High Seas (BBNJ) Treaty to secure enforceable 30x30 protections. We also demand a binding, whole-of-lifecycle plastics treaty that caps production, eliminates harmful chemicals, and ends waste colonialism through a polluter-pays model.
Deliver on Biodiversity. We demand the fulfillment of the Kunming-Montreal 30x30 goal with a focus on safeguarding our vital coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass ecosystems through community-led stewardship.
4. Deliver Reparative Climate Finance
The current global financial system is unjust. We demand reform that prioritizes climate justice and empowers vulnerable nations.
Mandatory, Grant-Based Finance. We demand new, predictable, and accessible grant-based climate finance from developed countries, provided as reparations and separate from ODA. This funding must directly support mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage without bureaucratic delays or colonial conditionalities.
Address Loss and Damage. The existing Loss and Damage Fund is not fit for purpose. We demand climate reparations for historical injustices, aligned with the polluter-pays principle, to provide fair and adequate support for affected communities.
5. True Partnership and Accountability
Genuine progress requires a fundamental shift in power.
Ensure Effective Participation. We demand the full participation of Pacific governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and marginalized groups in all decision-making. We reject donor-driven agendas; partners must follow Pacific-defined, justice-centered priorities.
Australia's COP31 Must Deliver. Australia's bid to host COP31 must be backed by an unequivocal commitment to a fossil fuel phase-out. The Pacific will not be used to legitimize Australia’s continued profiting from coal, oil, and gas. To be a true 'Pacific COP,' Australia must immediately halt all new fossil fuel projects and align with our goal of a Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific.
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