By Hilton T. Kendall, Ministry of Transportation,
Communications & Information Technology, Republic of the
Marshall Islands
I have sat at these tables
before. I have heard the same old arguments—too soon,
too costly, too complicated. I have seen the same
tactics—delay, divide, distract.
But we are not the
same Pacific we were years ago.
The Pacific has done
the hard yards. We have built alliances, gathered evidence,
and sharpened our strategy. We understand the process now.
We know how this system works, and we know how to push it
toward real change. That is why we come to these
negotiations calm, focused, and unshaken.
The Republic
of the Marshall Islands, alongside Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru,
Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, stands
as a united front. We are bringing everything to this
moment—our fight, our research, and our global allies.
Over 50 countries now back our call for a strong greenhouse
gas levy at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a
policy that will cut emissions and support the world’s
most vulnerable.
For too long, the shipping industry
has escaped accountability. It is one of the last major
sectors without a global plan to reduce emissions in line
with the 1.5°C goal. The climate crisis does not wait.
Every year, the Pacific faces stronger cyclones, rising
seas, and land loss. Our people do not have the luxury of
endless discussions. That is why we walk into these
negotiations with a clear purpose: to secure a deal that
delivers climate action, not climate delay.
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As we step
into these negotiations, we carry with us the spirit and
determination of the late Tony de Brum, our former Foreign
Minister and Climate Ambassador. Tony was a giant in our
fight for climate justice. As a child, he witnessed the
blinding flash of nuclear tests over Bikini Atoll and
transformed that experience into a 30-year crusade against
nuclear proliferation and environmental destruction. His
leadership was instrumental in forming the High Ambition
Coalition during the Paris Agreement
negotiations.
Tony taught us that no
nation is too small to make a difference, that courage and
conviction can move the world. We honor his memory by
continuing his work, by refusing to accept half-measures,
and by standing firm in our demands for a sustainable
future.
Through the Micronesian Center
for Sustainable Transport (MCST), we have built more than
just a case for action—we have built a movement.
We
have done the research. We have legal opinions. We have the
numbers. We have rallied voices from the Pacific, Caribbean,
African countries, from the developing and developed world
and senior industry players to stand with us. We know the
shipping industry’s excuses before they are even made, and
we are prepared to dismantle them one by one.
And we
are walking in together.
This is not just a fight for
the Pacific. This is a fight for every nation whose survival
depends on a global system that is fair, just, and
accountable.
The science is clear: shipping must cut
its emissions dramatically within this decade to stay within
the 1.5°C pathway. Our proposal—a greenhouse gas
levy—does exactly that.
This is not an abstract
policy. It is a practical, effective, and fair solution that
will:
Ensure shipping plays its part in the global
climate fight rather than remaining an unchecked source of
emissions.
Generate billions in climate finance to
support small island states, developing nations, and a just
transition.
Make clean fuels competitive by ensuring
polluting fuels are no longer the cheaper option.
We
are not here to negotiate away our future. We are not here
to accept weak compromises that leave us drowning. The
proposals put forward by some large shipping nations and
industry groups simply do not go far enough. They do not
align with 1.5°C. They do not provide the certainty needed
to transition to cleaner fuels. They do not provide the
funding that developing nations need. In short, they fail
the world.
We will not accept that.
I think
about my children and their children. I think about the land
I was raised on—the land that my ancestors navigated to
long before shipping lanes and trade routes existed. I think
about the people of the Pacific, who have always found a way
forward, no matter how rough the seas.
This is not
just another round of negotiations. This is about
survival.
We know what is at stake, and we are
ready.
The Pacific is not here to ask. We are here to
lead. Now, the world must decide: will it stand with us, or
will it fail the test of
history?
