Creating effective solutions to the effects and risks of climate change is the main objective of many island nations attending the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
Island nations are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, even though they emit less than 1 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases. Their natural resources, which sustain their economies, are deteriorating due to rising sea levels, ocean warming, and increased storm activity.
At COP28, island nations are seeking support for their efforts to adapt to climate change and transform their energy sector. To increase their resilience, they require international assistance, such as climate financing, technology transfers, and green investments in renewable energy.
The COP28 presidency aims to meet the needs of small developing island nations by launching and funding the Global Climate Fund, as well as securing financial commitments. The event also
hopes to agree on a clear and comprehensive framework for the global adaptation goal.
The climate crisis hits island nations the hardest, as they lose freshwater sources due to the salinisation of rivers and lakes caused by rising sea levels. They also face coastal erosion and storm damage.
According to the United Nations (UN) body in charge of addressing climate change, sea levels went up by 15 to 25 centimetres (cm) from 1900 to 2018. It also warned that a 2 degree Celsius increase in temperature compared to before the industrial era would make sea levels rise by 43 cm by 2100.
Island nations lead the way in tackling global environmental crises, and they have urged the international community to aim for the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement, which is limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The UN has selected three island nations as part of its ‘UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’ initiatives, which are among the first 10 global efforts to restore the system. They are Vanuatu in the P
acific Ocean, Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Sea, and the Comoros in the Indian Ocean.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs from 2021 to 2030, aims to restore the ecosystem faster and more effectively to address the interrelated environmental crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste. It also protects land and sea ecosystems and mobilises financial and scientific support to prevent the degradation of natural resources.
On the sidelines of the Archipelagic and Island States Forum in Indonesia, 32 island nations from across the world signed a joint declaration in October 2022 to strengthen their solidarity and cooperation in combatting climate threats.
The declaration document called on all members to prioritise mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, disaster management, protecting marine environments, good marine governance, and creating sustainable economic development for the blue economy, a term that refers to activities in the oceans, sea
s, and coasts of the world.
Source: Emirates News Agency