Recent Developments in International Climate Change Law: Pacific Island Countries’ Contributions
2021
This article discusses recent developments in international climate change law, in
respect of which Pacific island countries and territories (PICs) have made a particularly
significant contribution. PICs have been instrumental in shaping the international
climate change treaty regime since its inception in the early 1990s. Since the
adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, however, progress has stalled – and even
more so since the global pandemic. With a focus on the Suva Declaration on Climate
Change released prior to negotiations in Paris, this article assesses progress in two
areas that have received considerable attention from PIC representatives due to their
importance to the region: the long-term temperature goal and the Talanoa Dialogue;
and the issue of loss and damage. While PICs have managed to make gains in both areas,
climate change science indicates that current global efforts are insufficient to avoid catastrophic
climate change impacts for the Pacific region. In light of this, certain PIC leaders
are looking outside of the international treaty system for other ways to protect their
communities and ecosystems.
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