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Just Comm 187 VOL 16 NO 5 • 2013 www.erc.org.au A joint publication of Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education & The School of Education, Australian Catholic University The Majuro Declaration: Pacific island leaders get down to tin-tacks The coral atolls and other A “Pacific Gift” to the World low-lying islands that dot the Pacific The plight of Pacific peoples was Ocean are just a few meters above sea- given a strong shake-up on the fifth level. These islands will experience a of September this year by Pacific higher sea level rise than other parts of Island Leaders gathered at the 45th the world and Pacific peoples are Pacific Islands Forum representing already exposed to the adverse effects fourteen South Pacific Islands of climate change, something that is not spread throughout a vast area of of their own doing. They are compelled 3.5 million square kilometres of to attend to their very survival. ocean: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Various Islands expect to be flooded, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New bringing salination of water supplies, a Guinea, the Marshall Islands, loss of land through erosion, and Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, population displacements that increase Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. To many Australians agreement by 2015, something that population density or forced these islands simply represent attractive will demand enormous ambition, an emigration, even though identity and vacation places of sun, sparkling seas, equitable arrangement, justice, and 1 culture are tied to peoples’ islands . In palm trees, and exotic cultures. For political resolve. Kiribati’s Tarawa population density these Small Island Developing States equals London’s, with almost all land (SIDS), however, it is not a question of “I have gone first. Follow me.” for dwellings taken 2. Islanders’ sense “if” coral atolls will be flooded by the The significance of the document lies of injustice regarding the lack of a sea, but “when” they will disappear 6. precisely in the firm political leadership genuine, equitable global response by of the Pacific Islands. Now, stepping the rich developed world has now A Flea Speaks to the Elephant up to even greater leadership, they spurred them to take the lead. In Majuro, capital of the Marshall “commit to being Climate Leaders.” Mainstream science indicates that Islands, Forum members, together with Because “to lead is to act” they make warming and rising seas are affected Australia and New Zealand, signed the a compelling case for others to follow by a combination of highly variable “Majuro Declaration for Climate their lead. Tired of waiting for others to weather patterns and as a result of Leadership.” 7 A text of only twelve “go first,” the Pacific’s plucky new human activity 3. Despite climate pages, the Majuro Declaration dares to approach recognises that developed sceptics’ distortions and speak to the world community as if a countries have other agendas, but at the same time “if the Pacific Islands misrepresentations of scientific flea speaking to a mighty elephant, the disappear… it will be too late for assessments, climate change adds to elephant in the room. everyone else.” 8 This echoes the factors that threaten the fragile ecology Demonstrating deft political diplomacy, assessment of the Intergovernmental of the Pacific countries 4. Australians the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, Panel on Climate Change 9. may be surprised by warnings that as projected in the Declaration, Sydney Councils and the NSW state presented the document to United Important steps shape the way government, at a multi-billion dollar Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon forward cost, will need to strengthen and and nations under the United Nations maintain hundreds of kilometres of sea Framework Convention on Climate Earlier efforts to gain support and walls vulnerable to higher sea levels 5. Change (UNFCC) as “a Pacific gift” to commitments to do more to stop Pacific Island nations cannot afford to the world. It supports the UN’s efforts to climate change in this region have not wait any longer; that is a luxury mobilise the world community to come had the same ‘muscle’ as Majuro, for belonging to developed nations. to a legally-binding climate change example, the 2010 Ambo Declaration Just Comment A publication of The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education & The Australian Catholic University forged in Kiribati 10 . The Ambo text Dialogue Partners Called to References does not mention targets for Account 1. Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum, Christopher reduction in greenhouse emissions, Loeak, New York Times , September 2013, and received significant support, e.g., The Pacific Climate Leaders therefore http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/opinion/climate- call for their dialogue partners to change-has-reached-our-shores.html?_r=2&, 25 accessed from China, Australia, and New 24 October 2013. concretely enhance, accelerate and Zealand, but not enough. It 2. B. Lagan, “Kiribati: A Nation Going Under,” April 15, deliberately did not include targets as ensure effective delivery of their 2013, http://www.theglobalmail.org/feature/kiribati-a-nation- the aim of the Conference was to find support. They want greater leadership going-under/590/, accessed 15 October, 2013. points of agreement and build on from major emitting countries: 3. “Climate Change: The Human Interference,” The Canada, People’s Republic of China, University of the South Pacific, Pacific Centre for those – the “Pacific way.” Environment and Sustainable Development, PACE the European Union, France, India, Factsheet Series, no.1, Pacific Island efforts have always Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of http://eugcca.usp.ac.fj/Portals/0/Documents/ Factsheet%201.pdf, accessed 24 October 2013. expressed alarm and concerns, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, 4. “The IPCC Report: Busting the Climate Myths,” which, until Majuro had largely UK and USA, as well as governments, centred around the causes and Professor Will Steffen, executive director of the ANU economic entities, and civil society Climate Change Institute, 30 Sep 2013, adverse impacts of climate change. organisations. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-27/steffen-ipcc- As we will see further on, Majuro report/4984656, accessed 20 October 2013. gives stronger emphasis to Pledges to reduce American emissions 5. Anne Davies, “Coast Protection Costs Rise with Sea Levels,” The Sun Herald , 3 November 2013. developing responses around cannot be dependent on whether other adaptation and mitigation. While prior major economies agree to limit their 6. Kiribati Report, “Reducing the Risk of Disasters and Climate Variability in the Pacific Islands. Regional efforts may appear feeble, together emissions as well. Unfortunately, New Preparations for the 3rd International Conference on Small they form a series of important steps Zealand, in the Majuro Declaration, Island Developing States in 2014,” http://www.sids mirrors the US, as does Australia with 2014.org/content/documents/120Disaster%20management towards the Majuro Declaration. %20Strategy.pdf, accessed 15 October, 2013. its $4.5 billion cut in overseas aid, and 7. Declaration at the 45th Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ The Least Developed Countries its cut in climate change policy. meeting, “Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership,” http://www.majurodeclaration.org/news, 5 September The Majuro document not only A Proactive Future: Energy 2013, accessed 25 September 2013. accepts the need to move to low- 8. Marshall Islands Senator Tony de Brum, Address to NY carbon development but “galvanizes” Revolution University International Environmental Law Class, 26 September 2013, http://blogs.law.nyu.edu/environmental/ Pacific countries’ own commitments The Majuro Declaration’s focus has 2013/09/marshall-islands-minister-tony-de-brum-talks-about- by listing or pledging their own new, shifted forward with its focus on climate-leadership-from-the-pacific-islands, accessed 3 more ambitious commitments, urging proactive risk management rather than November 2013. others to intensify efforts to greater the traditional approach of 'wait and 9. http://www.ipcc.ch, accessed 5 October, 2013. emissions reductions and to turn to mitigate' 12 . The Pacific Leaders’ 10. Ambo Declaration, http://www.climate.gov.ki/wp- content/uploads/2012/12/AMBO_DECLARATION-10th- alternative, renewable energy. The initiative for a “Pacific Regional Data November-2010.pdf, 10 November 2010, accessed 20 target of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Repository for Sustainable Energy for September 2013. Vanuatu, for example, is that by 2020, All”, part of the Majuro trajectory, will 11. UN Office of the Representative of the Least 100% electricity generation will come overcome gaps in data and knowledge Developed Countries, http://www.un.org/special-rep/ohrlls/ ldc/ ldc%20criteria.htm, accessed 17 October 2013. from renewable energy, as also for about national and regional energy 12. See World Bank 2013 Report, http://www- the Solomon Islands by 2030. To planning and policy choices, and wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/W succeed, such pledges require identify options for adaptation 13 . In DSP/IB/2013/06/14/000445729_20130614145941/Rendered enormous resources, especially /PDF/784240WP0Full00D0CONF0to0June19090L.pdf, preparation for the 2014 Climate accessed November 3. finance, because the impact of Summit Pacific Island Nations have 13. Secretary General Calls New Pacific Regional Data climate change most effects the prepared comprehensive
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