Island nations reject flexibility mechanisms at key IMO talks

The 6PAC+ alliance has advocated for a global fuel standard and a universal carbon levy of $150/mt of CO2-equivalent emissions at the IMO’s GHG working committee discussions this week.

PHOTO: Port of Honiara on Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands Port Authority

The 6PAC+ alliance is a coalition made up of Pacific Islands – Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu – and Caribbean islands – Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

Some IMO member states are pushing for flexibility mechanisms like credit trading schemes, but the 6PAC+ alliance has rejected this proposal, the Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) said.

The Pacific Island nations are facing a “formidable challenge against global powers,” as major economies like Brazil, China and Russia advocate for less stringent measures, MCST added.

“Flexibility schemes shift revenues from the poor to the rich and fail to deliver a meaningful energy transition," said Marshall Islands diplomat Albon Ishoda.

Nauru, Tonga, Belize and Tuvalu have endorsed the higher-priced carbon levy based on a “polluter pays principle” to address their heightened vulnerability to climate change. This levy should be integrated with a technical measure, the nations recommended.

Climate-vulnerable nations should be prioritised when allocating revenues from the universal levy, Fiji’s Deputy Transport Secretary George Tavo said.

By Konica Bhatt

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