PACIFIC island ministers have begun discussing a regional roadmap to move away from fossil fuels, seeking to turn the region’s long-standing call for a fossil-fuel-free Pacific into a plan for energy security and economic independence.
The proposal was discussed at a high-level event at pre-COP31 in Fiji, where ministers and regional representatives reaffirmed a vision of 100 per cent renewable energy. The talks build on leaders’ August approval of a Pacific Renewable Energy Commissioner to coordinate the region’s transition.
The discussion comes as Pacific economies face high fossil-fuel import costs. In the Marshall Islands, gas costs $8 a gallon in the capital and $20 in the outer islands, said Jess Gasper Jr., the country’s minister of environment.
“For small island nations, renewable energy is not only about cutting emissions it is about energy security, resilience, and greater independence,” Gasper said.
The roadmap would build on Pacific diplomacy, including the 2023 Port Vila call for a global phase-out of coal, oil and gas production, and the region’s role in securing the first global agreement to transition away from fossil fuels at COP28. Pacific leaders also called for a global roadmap at COP30.
Fiji Environment and Climate Change Minister Lynda Tabuya said the event would discuss the roadmap process. “Keeping 1.5 alive is an existential need for us,” she said.
Tuvalu’s climate change minister, Maina Vakafua Talia, said the work should examine how to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, including supply and demand and likely changes in trade flows. He hoped the roadmap would be well advanced by next July, when Tuvalu is due to host the second International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.
“The call made in Port Vila three years back for a region free of fossil fuels must be turned into reality through a roadmap that charts our course together,” Vanuatu’s climate change minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said.
Partners signalled support for the work. The Asian Development Bank has established a Just Transition Support Platform for the region, while the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance and the NDC Partnership announced support for economies seeking to develop transition roadmaps.
The bank said its support would help countries define a Pacific-led transition, identify opportunities and plan feasible pathways that strengthen energy security, resilience and economic development.
The Pacific Community said it stood ready to support the Renewable Energy Commissioner and was working with members on a renewable transition strategy to expand energy access.
Tina Stege, the Marshall Islands’ climate envoy and Pacific envoy to COP31, said the region needed to end its fossil-fuel dependence for economic and energy security. “We need every region of the globe to follow us in developing a roadmap to a cheaper, cleaner, healthier, secure low-carbon energy future,” she said.
