17 November 2025, Belem - While heavy downpour belted the roof of the Hangar Convention Center, Belem, with the sound of thunder roaring through the auditorium, Hon. Polycarp Paea, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology of Solomon Islands, stood tall, undeterred.
“The hour for climate action is upon us,” he told the room full of world leaders and COP30 delegates. “As COP30—the “COP of Truth”— unfolds, we trust your leadership to guide us toward decisive outcomes.”
“For Solomon Islands, the 1.5°C limit is non-negotiable—it is a matter of survival.”
Hon. Paea was speaking during the high-level segment at COP30 on Monday, kicking off the second week of the world’s leading forum for tackling the climate crisis.
Amplifying Solomon Islands’ struggles on the global stage, Minister Paea said his people in the Solomon Islands are on front lines of the climate crisis, where loss, displacement, threatened livelihoods, food insecurity, and erosion of culture and heritage are daily realities.
“The success of this COP depends on transparency, accountability, and equitable partnerships,” he said. “Let us uphold true multilateralism and deliver the outcomes the world expects from COP30.”
Solomon Islands reminded that the first Global Stocktake and the latest NDC Synthesis Report confirm current efforts fall short of keeping 1.5°C within reach.
“We urge all countries yet to submit NDC 3.0 to do so urgently. High-emitting countries must lead by rapidly reducing greenhouse-gas emissions,” he said.
“With the IPCC warning of severe risks at 1.5°C and catastrophic impacts at 2°C, the world must accelerate, decarbonisation and transition to low-carbon, climate resilient pathways, consistent with the ICJ Advisory Opinion.”
The landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion referred to was delivered on 23 July 2025, on “the obligations of states with respect to climate change” at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
The ICJ determined that the 1.5°C temperature target is legally binding under the Paris Agreement and that all states, in particular the largest emitters, must take ambitious mitigation measures in line with the best available science. The opinion also focus on states’ obligations to tackle climate change, confirming that international law requires states to prevent significant harm to the climate—and failure to do so can trigger legal responsibility.
For Solomon Islands, a key aspect for climate change response is climate finance, of which Solomon Islands calls a “legal, moral, and shared human obligation.”
“Climate finance is not goodwill,” the Minister said. “Finance must be predictable, transparent, just, and centred on public and grant-based resources. Solomon Islands cannot adapt with debt.
"We therefore call for grant-based and concessional finance that is timely, simplified, and accessible. The New Collective Quantified Goal must be truly transformative— delivering predictable and sufficient resources, aligned with science and the 1.5°C goal and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable.”
The Solomon Islands also welcome the Barbados Implementation Modalities and urge rapid capitalisation of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage so it can deliver targeted support to highly impacted communities.
“On Adaptation, the GGA indicators must be non-punitive, non-prescriptive, and country-relevant, consistent with CBDR-RC. We call for strengthened support for both the formulation and implementation of National Adaptation Plans.”
Hon. Paea also highlighted the importance of the Ocean.
“As a Blue Pacific Continent State, we affirm the centrality of the ocean to climate regulation and urge UNFCCC bodies to elevate the ocean-climate nexus to the highest level of priority.”
The 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is taking place from 10-21 November 2025 in Belem, Brazil.
It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for the survival of Pacific communities who continue to be at the forefront of climate change impacts.
Support for our Pacific Islands at COP30 from members of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) is through the One CROP mechanism led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
Members of one CROP include: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) – Lead, Pacific Islands Development Program, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, Pacific Community.
A key part of amplifying the One Pacific Voice at COP30 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office. The Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at COP30 is a Pacific partnership with the Governments of Australia and New Zealand managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
The Pacific Delegation Office at COP30 is a Pacific partnership with the New Zealand Government managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
To learn more about the Pacific at COP30 please visit: https://www.sprep.org/cop30