New Zealand's Minister for Climate Change says a united Pacific voice is coming together to drive global consensus on a so-called Paris rulebook.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The rulebook would establish ways to measure progress toward the goals set in the 2015 UN Paris agreement to avoid climate disaster.
James Shaw has been in Suva for the latest Climate Action Pacific Partnership conference, part of Fiji's Presidency of the 23rd UN Climate Change Conference of Parties.
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Mr Shaw said the region's governments may start using the clout of their exclusive economic zones to help push for global environmental change.
"There is a recognition that that EEZ is colossal and extremely valuable and so I think you might see something like that.
"At this conference, this is sort of part of a process right, what I can see is sort of a slow coming together round a few key priorities during the course of the second half of this year."
Mr Shaw said the target for the Pacific was to ensure the Paris rulebook is agreed at the COP24 in Poland in December.
There is no debate about climate change anywhere in the Pacific, outside of New Zealand, he said.
Photo: AFP
"There are countries here that reckon up to 25 percent of their annual budget is dedicated to climatic events. You have cyclones that wipe out 30 percent of a country's GDP in the space of a few days."
However, Mr Shaw said the Pacific provided inspiration to the rest of the world.
Despite being at the forefront of the effects of climate change and being infinitesimal in terms of contributions to the problem, he said, the Pacific is committed to mitigating its own emissions.
"Getting renewables into their energy sector, looking at how to electrify their transport," Mr Shaw said.
"They kind of say, well look we can't be victims in this. We've got to lead the world and demonstrate that no matter how small you are, every little bit counts."