Governance and the Survival of the Pacific Islands
Following the COP21 in December 2015, the Pacific islands have a chance at survival in the face of an increasingly changing climate. Along with other small islands and highly vulnerable states, Pacific island advocacy achieved concessions to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the outcome document, the Paris Agreement. It is a huge win for all countries in the region. Ideally, the major emitters of greenhouse gases will bear the brunt of the work that needs to be done to ensure that that target is achieved, but in reality, the Pacific islands will need to continue to lead to hold signatories to the Paris Agreement accountable to the targets agreed, as well as lead in terms of adaptation, risk management and sustainable development. It is not a time to rest on the happy achievements of December, and it is not just climate change that the Pacific islands must address, but the Sustainable Development Goal s as a whole, and the significant work to be done to achieve