G7 countries must deliver on their COP28 promise to reduce fossil fuel consumption

Ralph Regenvanu is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geographic Hazards and Disaster Management.

A few weeks ago, leaders of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) met in Antigua and Barbuda to discuss the next decade of action. For us, this is no less than a critical decade. We have several years to change the tides that are swallowing our islands and destroying our culture and our identity.

Pacific Island communities are reluctant witnesses to the climate crisis – emitting small amounts of greenhouse gases while bearing the brunt of the extreme and devastating consequences of the world’s failure to break its dependence on fossil fuels.

During this meeting, we heard from some G7 leaders that they will support our priorities and that a phase-out of fossil fuels and a just and equitable transition are necessary. But these cannot be empty words. As the only largest security threat It is time for our region to fulfill its obligations or bear the responsibility for inaction, bearing the loss of future generations on our shoulders.

Just a few months ago, at the UN climate talks in Dubai, countries around the world finally agreed to move away from fossil fuels. There was noticeably no talk this week in Bonn about how countries plan to implement the agreement.

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But now the G7 countries – Canada, Japan, Italy, the United States, Germany, the UK and France – are coming together at a historic moment to address climate policy, taking one of the first opportunities to show leadership with the COP28 decision on fossil fuels to work.

It will also be the last meeting between these countries before they must present updated and improved climate plans by 2035 under the Paris Agreement. This is the last chance for G7 countries to adopt the measures necessary to limit warming to 1.5°C.

Despite the opportunity and responsibility to be leaders in achieving a full, rapid, equitable and financed phase-out of fossil fuels, these countries are not following suit – either at home or abroad.

Islands as “collateral damage”?

Some G7 countries are planning to massively increase domestic fossil fuel production, even though science tells us that no new oil, gas or coal projects will provide a safe climate, while others are using billions of public money to finance more fossil fuel infrastructure abroad.

We call on G7 countries to show real leadership in the coming negotiations by immediately pausing the approval of all new fossil fuel projects and committing to the 1.5°C timetables to phase out existing fossil fuel dependence in a fair and equitable manner.

The transition process must prioritize the needs of developing countries, which bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change even though they contribute the least to its causes.

G7 Carbon Charade: Funding the fire they are supposedly fighting

G7 countries have already committed to ending international financing for fossil fuel projects, but continue to approve billions of dollars in fossil fuel infrastructure. They save the fossil fuel industry, put vulnerable countries in debt and delay a just energy transition.

As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “The idea that an entire island nation could become collateral damage as a result of the profiteering of the fossil fuel industry is simply obscene.”

There is no shortage of public money to enable a fair and equitable transition to renewable energy and make the COP28 agreement a reality. It is simply poorly distributed to the most harmful parts of the global economy that cause climate change and inequality: fossil fuels, unfair colonial debts, and the super-rich.

We need G7 countries to pay their fair share of the costs of phasing out fossil fuels and other crises we face on fair terms. Climate finance remains a key enabler – during our meetings in Antigua and Barbuda, we heard that some G7 countries have made commitments and pledges; we have also heard many solutions and options that will increase our debt.

But for us it is clear. Climate finance must be increased to cover the trillions of dollars needed for adaptation, mitigation and addressing loss and damage; and sent where it is needed most – on fair terms that do not burden our economies with even more debt.

Hold fossil fuel companies accountable

G7 members are among the most powerful and richest nations in the world. They have a responsibility to lead both at home and abroad. Anything less is hypocrisy and gross negligence and may jeopardize the implementation of the COP28 decision to phase out fossil fuels.

Pacific Island countries have been vocal advocates for ambitious climate action and have been leading by example for decades. In 2023, our leaders strived to: A Pacific free from fossil fuels. We embedded the language of withdrawal and transition in our leaders’ declaration.

Bonn talks about the goal of financing climate action end in a numerical stalemate

We have felt the impacts of climate change more than most and have consistently called for comprehensive and equitable global action for the survival of our nations and for the well-being of all people and species.

For Pacific Island countries, the transition to clean and renewable energy is not only a goal, but a necessity for survival. We call on the G7 to show the highest possible ambition. These countries must recognize and support our aspirations for a fossil-free future, setting an example of sustainable development that puts people and the planet ahead of profit, and ensure that the fossil fuel companies responsible for the climate crisis bear the costs of their actions.

The time to act is now. The fate of our planet hangs in the balance, and the decisions made by the G7 countries will shape our common future. We beg them to heed the call of Saint Pacific Island nations and meet the challenge of the climate crisis with boldness, ambition and urgency. Our common future depends on it.