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1. How are the Alliance of Small Island States using the Official Development Assistance funds from The Government of Australia for ‘climate change and resilience’ to govern yourselves and better your own socio economic environment.

2. With the possible integration of new cultures, the Alliance of Small Island States is pushing for the importance of their own culture, how can we be sure that the Australian culture won’t be degraded?

Regards

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The UNHCR is committed to creating a new body within the UNCHR that has a prime focus on ‘Climate Change Refugees’. We are hopeful that by creating a formal legal definition, it will legitimise the need for states to respond by accommodating those that will be displaced by climate change.

The UNHCR optimistically asks AOSIS if they will support the creation of this new entity in the upcoming COP24, as well as

collaborate with us as representatives of your region in order to develop appropriate mechanisms to appropriately address this crisis.

Kind regards,

Allyson Todd (UNHCR legal representative)

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We would like to align ourselves with you, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), to challenge the Australian government that has continually placed a disproportionately large emphasis, both financially and verbally, on border protection and the relocation of refugees. Evidently, preventing climate change refugees isn't in the current governments best interest and their efforts to avert the crisis are unspecific and incompetent. We need to act now!

Regards,
GREENPEACE ASIA PACIFIC

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If The World Bank Group was to set up a Development Policy Operation with your most vulnerable states to changing climate conditions, what steps would you take to create more resilient states?

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If The World Bank Group was to set up a Development Policy Operation with your most vulnerable states to changing climate conditions, what steps would you take to create more resilient states?

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Regards,
Emma, (The World Bank Group Legal Representative)

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The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) have been the forefront of climate change since the 1989 Sea Level Rise in Maldives. The aim was to bring awareness to the global arena of the early signals and impacts of climate change on low-lying island states.

AOSIS represents the Small Islands and Developing States (SIDS) who are most vulnerable to rising sea levels. Global warming has resulted in rising sea levels that are physically inundating our states but also our territorial lands, our human rights and our equity. Therefore, our rights are legally challenged.

There is a lack of legal discourse that addresses climate migrants or “refugees” under International laws. As the thousands of misplaced climate refugees increase, the need to define and consolidate this global issue is of utmost importance. A gap between environmental climate migrants and a legal guide is apparent. International laws such as Environmental Law, International Refuge Law and Human Rights do not directly relate to issues of climate induced migrants. This situation reflects the rapidly changing environment and fore coming issues yet to be addressed, suggesting current laws are outdated.

Through mitigation, adaptation and adoption of the United Nations on Climate Change framework, AOSIS have successfully represented a coalition through a bottom-up approach. We are leading the global north and south by advocating how and why climate change is severely affecting our culture and people and why we need to act urgently. During the Paris Agreement, the agreement to limit pre-industrial global warming to 1.5 degrees was successful. However, existing agreements are not enough to meet the goal without commitments from all Parties.

The need to take immediate action through scientific research and technical mitigation on reducing coal emissions must be legally-binding or through side-payments. Research shows that “To reduce these deaths coal-fired electricity must be eliminated and the results showed that 51,999 American lives could be saved per year by transitioning from coal to PV-powered electrical generation”, (Prehoda & Pearce 2017, p. 9). Not only is climate change affecting the developed countries but critically affecting SIDS. A stronger commitment from the global north is a must.

Prehoda, E. & Pearce, J. 2017, ‘Potential Lives Saves by Replacing Coal with Solar Photovaltaic Electricity Production in the U.S’, paper review, Michigan Technological University.

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Note: Papua New Guinea.
"Recent satellite observations have detected a thinning of parts of the Greenland ice sheet at lower elevations.  A partial melting of this ice sheet would cause a 1-meter (3-foot) rise. If melted completely, the Greenland ice sheet contains enough water to raise sea level by 5-7 meters (16-23 feet)." - NASA.

This visualization shows the effect on coastal regions for each meter of sea level rise, up to 6 meters (19.7 feet).  Land that would be covered in water is shaded red.
https://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate-time-machine

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Coal + effects of Climate Change = Climate refugees. 

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Coal + effects of Climate Change = Climate refugees. 

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"Sea level will rise 1-4 feet by 2100" - NASA.

By reducing or depleting the reliance of fossil fuels, climate change will also take similar effect meaning victims of environmental refuge are less likely impacted. It is clear that many thousands are already misplaced by severe environmental factors. However, we envision to keep our culture and people alive by pushing the boundaries that AOSIS has successfully done in the past is key.

AOSIS may not have the resources and power to influence legal issues first-hand but AOSIS represents a "moral voice" for Climate Change.

https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
https://endcoal.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/EndCoalClimateFactsheet2014.WEB-2.pdf

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Executive Summary          18.05.18

It is rather daunting to consider how climate change will affect the future economies of the 44 states and observers that makeup the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

One disadvantage that all member states share is their susceptibility to the adverse effects of climate change. This global phenomenon is causing an unprecedented amount of economic hardship for the local people.

They incur huge costs associated with the:

·      damage of their property

·      damage of local infrastructure (roads, power lines, bridges, sea walls)

·      damage of farms (used as a source of income)

These massive disruptions in their daily life also means lost time for children to become educated and difficulties for adults to maintain a profitable business.

To combat such injustices, AOSIS hopes to impose harsher economic sanctions on global institutions that have negative production externalities.

Our solution is a tax reform that proposes the abolishment of the ‘Pigouvian tax’ – this is when companies pay tax on a per unit basis of production.

The tax would be modified to the ‘cap-and-trade permit’, where the owner can buy/sell a permit that gives allowance to emit a certain quantity of pollution each year.

This reform has huge upwards potential as it doesn’t drastically affect governments ability to raise revenues, and, also allows proven scientists and politicians to collaborate in assessing how much pollution is admissible while staying on track to achieve the outcomes of the recent COP23 summit.

The outcomes of COP23 were encouraging, with Fijian president Frank Bainimarama declaring that “we have done the job we were given to do” (Earthfile 2018). However, the US’s withdrawal under the Trump administration was a sour ending - as one of the world’s biggest polluters ceased their support for action.

In a poignant and paradoxical manner- it is ultimately the actions (or inactions) of the global north who will determine the future for AOSIS.

AOSIS is in a sink-or-swim situation (literally), and so we will proactively pressurise the major polluters to comply with our proposed solution and thus successfully meet the targets of COP23.

Bibliography

Earthfile 2018, ‘Outcomes of COP23 Climate Change Conference Pt 1, Earthfile, ChannelsTV, viewed 12 May 2018

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uYMgMMhT9Y>

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Due to the increasing threats of climate change- member states in the AOSIS community have created a unified front.
Our vulnerability and helplessness means that the our future is out of our hands.
We therefore focus on the global north and holding main polluters accountable for their actions.

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Quote that summarises AOSIS proactive approach  

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Quote that summarises AOSIS proactive approach  

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“The earth is not dying, it is being killed, and those who are killing it have names and addresses.”- Utah Phillips

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In 2008 President Tong of Kiribati spoke on Australian radio stating that his citizens did not want to leave their nation as 'environmental refugees'. Instead of becoming refugees he suggested that his countrymen were given the training to become 'skilled migrants' instead.

This sentiment expressed by President Tong is the basis of the cultural and social issues facing the AOSIS. The fact that these people don't want to leave their land and are thus being classed as 'refugees' when a proactive approach to the situation could see these people as 'skilled migrants'. The misallocation of resources by the west is fuelling this issue due to a culture of mistrust in the developing nations governments who are notoriously corrupt.

Statement: The Alliance of Small Island States is a coalition of small island nation that counteract developmental problem in regards to the environment and coastal islands vulnerability to climate change. Although negotiation and promotion of the issue is possible, from our standpoint, it will not only continue to exist, the government who are responsible for being sustainable in looking after the environment believe it is of no concern hence the lack of assistance. This demonstrates a lack of ethics in regards to a danger that is jeopardizing the homes of all Pacific islanders which elicits another issue that is alarming. There will be more immigrant refugees searching for homes but where will they go if other nations do not accept them? Additionally, climate change has been proven to be a result of the pollution, emission and other harmful factors from the infrastructure that the government has spent their resource on and with society utilizing this, the damages will increase. According to the statistics, the country that utilizes the most carbon emission is United States 16.0% and China 28.6% with greenhouse gas emission of China taking the lead once again of 16.4% and United State 15.7%. Both countries are powerful, wealthy and though they are aware of climate changes and the effect that should’ve been heard, reputation and resources being wasted in a unsustainable manner is more important that saving island that are about to go extinct. With all these facts evident, all actions and decision of the government are deemed politically unethical. Therefore, as a member of the AOSIS, we recommend that United States and China should be accountable for their actions and help other countries that are losing their homes to the climate change with a sustainable plan that can cater to the need of the island.

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According to the International Refugee Law, a person seeking refuge is defined by those who are in fear of persecution because of their race, religion, social group, ethnicity and political opinion. The law therefore limits climate refugees and intervenes with Human Rights for that there is no solution that directly addresses the issue - Corendea 2016, 'Hybrid Legal Approaches Towards Climate Change: Concepts, Mechanisms and Implementation'.

Environmental Law: The 1972 Conference established ways to address extinction of species which should be done, however, climate change was not an immediate issue then but it is now and so the Environmental Law is arguably outdated. There is a need of urgency to combat issues on the forefront.

Overview of AOSIS and its initiatives.

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Anna (Political-Ethical)
Jamie (Economic)
Daniel and Lorenzo (Socio-Cultural)
Legal (Ebony)

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The definition of 'climate refugee' can be categorised as 'people who have to leave their habitats, immediately or in the near future'. The word habitat evokes a sense of ecological significance. When used in the context of 'climate refugees' problems arise concerning indigenous communities being 'rooted' to the land in which they inhabit. This contrasted with the ‘West’ who embrace free movement around the world characterised by colonialism (Farbotko & Lazrus 2011). The question must then be asked, how equipped are western policy makers in making decisions for the indigenous Island nation people?

Given the strong culture that is found across all 44 states of the Alliance of Small Island states (AOSIS) the social and cultural issues that climate change will bring on are irrefutable. Millions of citizens who are proud of their nation and culture are losing their very existence. Their sense of identity is so closely attached to their land that in some instances he notion of holding their ground against the rising tides is more desirable than having to leave. The strength and resilience that the Polynesian culture instils in its people can only be categorised as polarising. The culture of the AOSIS was already altered many centuries ago when the European missionaries came and went. We are now seeing a second coming of the ‘West’ within the islands of the pacific, however this time it is not their diseases that threaten our existence but rather their reckless polluting.

Given that the culture of the AOSIS is attached to the land in which is sinking below our feet the position that the organisation is adopting is that our major neighbours in the pacific the USA, Australia and New Zealand as well as the collective global north to welcome us with open arms. Our culture is rich and our people are friendly. The member citizens of the AOSIS will make a strong addition to your society as we will cherish our new nations just as we did our own homelands.

Farbotko, C. & Lazrus, H. 2011, ‘The first climate refugees? Contesting global narratives of climate change in Tuvalu’, Global Environment Change, vol. 22, pp.382-390.