What would a Pacific 'blue COP' need to deliver?

By Peter Thomson, Fijian Diplomat and UN Ocean Ambassador

I still remember when the ocean was rarely mentioned in international climate discussions. Despite its central role in regulating the climate, supporting biodiversity and sustaining the livelihoods of billions of people, it was often treated as a separate issue rather than a core part of the climate and energy agenda.

Today, that is changing.

9 in 10 countries now include ocean targets in their national investment plans. Momentum is building behind a global ocean treaty that will reshape how international waters are governed, and investors and businesses are paying closer attention to the sustainable blue economy and its potential to drive growth and long-term resilience.

More countries are recognising what Pacific nations have long known: there is no credible climate strategy without the ocean.

That is an important achievement, because it means that the ocean no longer needs to fight for a place in climate discussions.

But it also raises a new question.

If the argument has largely been won, what comes next?

This World Ocean Day comes at a critical moment. I think of friends and colleagues across the Pacific and beyond who are preparing for the impacts of a hotter El Niño, while others are confronting the prospect of losing homes, livelihoods and even territory to rising seas. For many communities, the consequences of climate change are no longer distant projections - they are a lived reality.

Yet despite these challenges, I also think of the many Pacific leaders, advocates and communities who continue to drive change. As they reminded the world in Nice last year, when it is time to show leadership at a time of uncertainty, the Pacific shows up.

That spirit matters as the region prepares to host the Pre-COP31 in October and help shape the road to COP31 itself.

And if COP31 is to earn the title of a “Blue COP”, it should not be remembered for speeches about the importance of the ocean. It should be remembered for backing solutions that strengthen resilience, unlock finance, support sustainable development and deliver tangible results for communities.

The good news is that many of those solutions already exist.

Three opportunities stand out.

100 % Renewable Pacific

The first is the Pacific’s push towards 100 per cent renewable energy.

For many Pacific Island countries, this is often described as a climate story. In reality, it is just as much an economic and security story.

The war in Iran has exposed the risks that come with dependence on imported fossil fuels. Around 80% of the Pacific’s energy supply still relies on imported petroleum products, leaving countries vulnerable to price shocks and supply disruptions beyond their control.

In the Pacific, where I am from, renewable energy offers something far more valuable than emissions reductions alone. It offers greater energy independence, lower long-term costs and stronger economic resilience.

Every dollar spent on imported fuel is a dollar that cannot be invested in our people and our future. Renewable energy helps keep those resources at home, strengthening economic resilience while improving energy security.

The technology exists. The ambition exists. What is needed now is the investment and implementation support to accelerate deployment.

The Pacific Resilience Facility.

One of the most persistent frustrations in climate diplomacy is the gap between promises and delivery. Communities facing the impacts of climate change are often forced to navigate complex international systems before support reaches them.

The Pacific Resilience Facility was created to change that.

Designed by the Pacific, for the Pacific, the Pacific Resilience Facility aims to direct resources to communities before disasters occur rather than after recovery begins. At a time when climate impacts are becoming more frequent and more severe, that shift could prove transformative. With a target capitalization of US$500 million, the Facility represents a practical effort to close the gap between climate finance commitments and delivery on the ground.

Public investment in the blue economy has nearly doubled over the past decade, and new sources of finance are emerging. Yet funding for adaptation, resilience and ecosystem protection still falls far short of what is required. The challenge is not simply raising more money. It is ensuring that resources reach the communities and projects where they can make the greatest difference.

The ‘Ocean Taskforce’

The third opportunity is building on the Ocean Taskforce launched under the COP30 Presidency and turning it into a platform for delivery. Fiji, Palau and Australia are already part of that effort.

The Ocean Taskforce has already brought together 18 countries, it can help sustain the momentum generated by COP30 and carry it forward into COP31 and beyond. More importantly, it can help ensure that ocean action is not confined to international negotiations, but is translated into practical action at the national level.

Governments, financial institutions, development partners and ocean leaders all have a role to play. By connecting political ambition with finance and implementation support, the Taskforce can help countries turn commitments into projects and mobilise investment where it is needed most.

The Taskforce has the potential to become a vehicle for that delivery, helping to shape a more coordinated, better financed and more effective approach to ocean action worldwide.

On this World Ocean Day, I find myself thinking less about what remains to be said, and more about what remains to be done. The case for the ocean has largely been made.

The challenge now is to back the solutions that can strengthen resilience, support the transition to cleaner energy, advance sustainable development and deliver lasting benefits for communities. The next chapter is not starting from scratch. Across the Pacific, leaders and communities are already showing how ocean stewardship, climate resilience and sustainable development can advance together.

Our task now is to scale and support their work.

Peter Thomson is a Fijian diplomat who is currently serving as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean – the first person to be appointed to this position. He held the office of President of the General Assembly of the United Nations from September 2016 until September 2017. He was Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN from February 2010 to September 2016.