Baku, Azerbaijan – The Solomon Islands delivered a powerful call for urgent climate action during the Resumed High-Level Segments of COP29. The statement was delivered by the Hon. Trevor Manemahaga, Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology and Head of Delegation, highlighted the critical challenges faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) due to the climate crisis.
Speaking on behalf of the Solomon Islands Government and its people, Minister Manemahaga underscored the nation’s vulnerability to climate change, emphasizing that the impacts are not abstract future threats but immediate realities. “Our stories now are those of loss, displacement, suffering, and erosion of culture and heritage,” he said.
Minister Manemahaga stressed the critical importance of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5°C, describing it as essential for the survival of the Solomon Islands and other vulnerable nations. He called on high-emitting countries to intensify mitigation efforts and address the root cause of the crisis—greenhouse gas emissions. The Solomon Islands urged COP29 to deliver a substantive decision under the Mitigation Work Program, emphasizing the phasing out of fossil fuels, the removal of subsidies, and a shift toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Highlighting the Global Stocktake (GST) as a vital tool for evaluating climate progress, Minister Manemahaga underscored the importance of follow-up actions on mitigation outcomes to ensure accountability and implementation.
Critiquing the existing climate finance system as inadequate and unjust, the Solomon Islands called for a transformative New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) that is grant-based, accessible, and tailored to the unique challenges of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS’s) and Least Developed Countries (LDC’s)the SIDS and LDCs. Minister Mahaga also demanded transparency, accountability, and a minimum floor of allocations for vulnerable nations under the New Collective Quantified Goal framework for climate finance
Acknowledging the swift establishment of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, the Solomon Islands urged its rapid operationalization to address the urgent needs of vulnerable communities.
Minister Manemahaga highlighted the devastating impacts of climate change on oceans, fisheries, and livelihoods, urging the Conference of the Parties to prioritize oceans in its agenda.
Stressing the importance of transparency, accountability, and equitable collaboration, the Minister emphasized that global partnerships must be strengthened to achieve climate resilience.
Minister Manemahaga concluded by urging decisive action, saying, “The 1.5-degree goal is not negotiable; it is a matter of survival. Together, we can overcome the challenges before us and create a resilient future for all.”
The Solomon Islands reaffirmed its commitment to working with global partners to address the climate crisis and build a sustainable future for all nations, particularly the most vulnerable.
