Earth Today | AOSIS, LDCs insist on 1.5 degrees goal

THE ALLIANCE of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) together with the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group are pressing in on their advocacy to affirm 1.5 degrees Celsius as the global temperature goal to restrain catastrophic climate change while calling for a suite of other actions to bolster their resilience.

“Together, we represent some of the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world, small islands facing the risk of disappearance and nearly one billion people in the least developed countries living daily on the frontlines of this crisis. Our uncompromising message is that the survival of our nations depends on urgent and ambitious climate action,” the countries said in a joint press statement issued on September 22, at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80).

“Science is very clear, and the International Court of Justice has reaffirmed that countries are legally obliged to align commitments and action with the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming limit. For us, 1.5 degrees Celsius is not a negotiating position, it is a red line,” they added.

“Overshooting this threshold would mean irreversible losses and damage for our nations, and it would represent not the failure of the Paris Agreement, but the failure of political will,” they said further.

Small island states and LDCs are among those most vulnerable to climate impacts, including extreme hurricane and drought events, which have severely impacted Caribbean SIDS over recent years.

Risks also extend to sea level rise and increased sea surface temperatures, coastal erosion, compromised freshwater security, as well as impaired public health – all of which are associated with the rising global temperature due to human actions.

The AOSIS, which represents the interest of 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states in international climate change, sustainable development negotiations and processes, and the 44-nations LDCs have also called for greater ambition to cut greenhouse gas emissions which fuel global warming and the changing climate.

“The deadline for the submission of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) is rapidly approaching. Countries must put forward updated 2030 targets and new 2035 targets that are aligned with the 1.5 degrees Celsius pathway no later than September 2025,” they said.

“A true celebration of 10 years of the Paris Agreement will be if COP30 in Belém delivers a credible plan to close the ambition gap, respond to the Global Stocktake, and put the world firmly on course to limit warming to 1.5°C. Anything less would be a betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable,” they added.

Chair of the AOSIS, Her Excellency Ambassador Ilana Seid has said that “every fraction of a degree matters”.

“For our islands, exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius is a point of no return. COP30 must deliver a clear and credible plan to close the ambition gap and keep the world on track for 1.5 degrees Celsius. Anything less would be a betrayal of the most vulnerable,” she noted.

LDC Chair Evans Njewa agreed.

“For the Least Developed Countries, 1.5 degrees Ceslius is a matter of survival, not of choice. Every delay in climate action is costing lives, livelihoods, and futures in our countries. The time for pledges has passed. We must intensify implementation,” he said.

Also important, the countries have said, are the prioritisation of adaptation and financing.

“For our countries, adaptation is not optional, it is a matter of survival. Yet the gap in adaptation finance continues to grow, and where resources exist, they too often fail to reach the communities most in need. Adaptation finance must be tripled by 2030 and delivered in ways that are predictable, accessible, and at scale. COP30 must also agree on meaningful adaptation indicators that reflect the realities of vulnerable nations, so that progress towards the Global Goal on Adaptation can be measured in ways that matter for our people,” they said.

Implementation of the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) must also respond to the scale of needs.

“This means anchoring the $300-billion annual commitment within the broader Baku-to-Belém $1.3-trillion roadmap, with milestones, timelines and accountability mechanisms to guarantee delivery,” the AOSIS-LDCs said in the statement.

“Our countries are already suffering irreversible losses from sea level rise, cyclones, floods and droughts, while climate-induced displacement continues to undermine resilience and strain scarce resources. The Loss and Damage Fund must be fully resourced and become immediately accessible, prioritising our countries,” they added.

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