AS COP30 approaches next month, the urgency of climate action is intensifying. But for Pacific islanders, it is a daily reality — one that shapes lives, communities, and futures.
The struggle is not theoretical. It is personal, immediate, urgent, and often painful.
Over recent months, I’ve had the privilege of travelling across the Pacific and hearing firsthand stories of resilience and adaptation.
In the Western Division of Fiji, communities spoke of rising floodwaters and the damage they cause — to homes, crops, and livelihoods.
In Tuvalu, I saw coastal erosion up close, where land reclamation projects are not just infrastructure, but acts of survival.
In Kiribati, infrequent rainfall is making access to water more difficult, straining families and public services.
And in Kadavu, I witnessed mangrove planting — a quiet but powerful response to the creeping loss of coastline.
These experiences have stayed with me. They speak to the difficult decisions Pacific communities are making every day. My message is simple: you are not alone.
In the UK, we recognise that fossil fuels and a carbon-intensive future are the root drivers of climate change – and the consequences are already being felt across the Pacific.
These are not just technical shifts, but moral choices. Every tonne of carbon avoided and every clean energy investment made helps ease the burden on communities already living on the frontlines of this crisis.
That’s why actions like phasing out coal and accelerating decarbonisation matter.
On October 1, Great Britain completed 12 months coal-free in our energy infrastructure – a landmark moment in our journey to a fossil-free future.
The closure of Ratcliffe-on-Soar, our final coal-fired power station, came a year ahead of schedule. In just a decade, coal’s share of electricity generation in Great Britain fell from around a third to zero.
According to the World Resources Institute, this is the second-fastest coal power phase-out in the world.
The UK has also cut emissions by 50 per cent between 1990 and 2022, becoming the first major economy to do so, while growing and diversifying our economy.
This transition has not been easy. It has required tough decisions by successive British governments and the British public. But it reflects our national commitment to decarbonise our power sector by 2030 and to become a clean energy superpower. We are investing in renewables, supporting clean energy jobs, and sharing our journey with international partners.
Great Britain’s coal-free milestone is especially significant given our history.
We were the first country in the world to burn coal for electricity. Coal powered our Industrial Revolution and shaped our economy for generations.
But today, our actions are helping build a coal-free world.
In 2015, the UK became the first national government to commit to phasing out unabated coal, setting a target date of 2025.
This is part of a wider trend: the UK leads globally through the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which now includes 180 members across every continent.
The UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) program — representing a commitment of over $F30 billion — is delivering real impact across the globe. Since its launch in 2011, it has helped more than 100 million people adapt to the effects of climate change and provided nearly 70 million with improved access to clean energy.
It has contributed to the reduction or avoidance of over 86 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, protected more than 413,000 hectares of forests and ecosystems, and mobilised £14 billion in climate finance, equally split between public and private sources.
Globally, coal power remains the largest source of energy-related CO₂ emissions. The latest data shows coal capacity is still rising – by 2 per cent last year, reaching 2,130GW. One major economy opens two coal-powered stations a week. However, to keep 1.5°C within reach, we need to retire an average of 126GW of coal capacity per year – roughly two coal plants every week – for the next 17 years.
That’s why the UK recently stood firmly behind the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net Zero Framework (NZF) — a landmark proposal to decarbonise global shipping by incentivising cleaner fuels and aiming for net-zero maritime emissions by 2050.
Approved in principle earlier this year, the NZF was a major step toward aligning the sector with the Paris Agreement and sending a clear signal to industry that the age of fossil-fuelled shipping is ending.
At the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) meeting last week, however, the Framework’s adoption was postponed by at least one year. Despite this, the UK stood alongside our Pacific Island partners in support of the NZF’s immediate adoption. We remain committed to advancing the Framework and building consensus. We will continue to champion maritime decarbonisation, backed by nearly $F1 billion investment through UK SHORE – a program to address maritime emissions and create skilled jobs — and our Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy.
My visit to Tuvalu concluded with a fatele ceremony – a communal performance by one island community, where the steady pulse of central drumming set the rhythm for dancers encircling them to rise in tempo and intensity.
As the movement and sound built to a unified crescendo, it stirred an almost involuntary urge among those watching to take part (I’m pleased to say I did!). It was more than a cultural moment; it was a living metaphor for the kind of collective global effort we need to confront climate change — with the Pacific at its heart and a call for all to join in.
The UK is listening and acting. As we look ahead to COP30 in Brazil and the exciting prospect of a Pacific COP at COP31, the UK is proud to support Pacific priorities on climate, including decarbonisation. Our own coal-free milestone — marking 12 months without coal-fired power — is our moment to step into the global choreography of climate action. It reflects our commitment to a fossil-free future and our belief that climate action must be shared, sustained, and deeply felt.
The tempo is rising. The world must respond – together.
KANBAR HOSSEIN BOR is the British High Commissioner to Fiji
