By Alopi Latukefu,

The U.S. departure from the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international agreement - while predictable with a Trump victory – deeply undermines global efforts to combat and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The United States is the second largest emitter of green-house gases.  Collective efforts to keep global warming below 1.5°C have depended on the largest emitters (including China, the United States and the European Union) committing to do what was needed to curb the risk of catastrophic climate change.

Through their recalcitrance – the US may encourage other nations and blocs to waver on their own commitments. The risk of a cascade effect, of one of the world’s largest emitters stepping back from collective efforts to address the climate crisis is a very real one.  The UK’s climate envoy, Rachel Kyte recently noted that “the science remains unchanged, and no other country has altered its position.” However, as mutual global cooperation is increasingly tested by the pursuit of national interests – can this consensus hold into the future?  As a result, a final decision on a co-hosted Australia and Pacific COP 31 has never been more important, pressing or impactful. 

'Alopi Latukefu with (L-R) Susan Moylan-Coombs, Tui Shortland, Professor Anna Poelina and Cliff Cobbo

at the opening session of the 2025 iX Summit during Sydney Climate Action Week.

COP31 will not be just another meeting; it will be a call for unity, leadership, and bold action in the face of escalating climate threats. COP31 offers not just an opportunity for ambitious climate action but a powerful symbol of solidarity in a region (the Indo-Pacific) where the impacts of climate change will be felt by a significant proportion of the world’s population and where several countries already face the existential threat of climate change.  

With Australia and the Pacific as co-hosts, the opportunity for the voices of Indigenous communities from Australia and the Pacific to be amplified on the world stage would be both significant and transformational.  

With the United States abdicating responsibility and reneging on an international agreement, the Indo-Pacific including the world’s largest emitter – China, must now demonstrate the leadership and vision needed to keep global climate goals on track. 

Australia too, must move off the crossroads and choose a track. Long criticised for serving its own national interests and reliance on fossil fuels as well as slow transition to renewable energy, Australia must re-define its global reputation and stand up for its immediate neighbours’ calls for ambitious climate action. By prioritising bold climate policy and acting as a bully-pit to amplify the voices of those on the frontlines of the crisis, Australia can consolidate its place as not only a global green energy superpower, but as a catalytic leader of change in the interest of the world. 

Australia’s greatest proponents are the voices of regional Indigenous communities. Indigenous communities of Australia and the Pacific have stewarded their lands for millennia, drawing on deep environmental knowledge to survive and thrive in some of the world's harshest conditions. Their wisdom has shaped sustainable practices, fostering resilience against cyclones, fires, floods, and droughts. This long-standing custodianship contrasts sharply with the extractive mindset of industrialization, imperialism, and colonialism. Traditional knowledge remains vital for informing climate adaptation and mitigation, as it has for generations past and must for those to come. 

In Australia, Indigenous land management practices — like cultural burning — have helped reduce bushfire risks and maintain ecological balance at a continental level..Such techniques, rooted in generations of observation and respect for nature provide well understood and tested solutions for modern climate challenges. 

Pacific Island nations, among the most vulnerable climate change impacted populations have long practiced sustainable fishing, agriculture, and resource management — traditions that could help shape global strategies for resilience and adaptation.  At the same time the ingenuity of observed environmental and astronomical knowledge that underscored the navigation, survival and prospering of communities across the vast Pacific and Indian Oceans cannot be understated. How can we not take the voices of these populations who have been advocating for climate action well before it was fashionable to do so seriously? 

Leaders from the Pacific have call for balanced, affordable approaches including the transitions to green energy. Rather than assigning blame, the Pacific’s leadership emphasis on collaboration and practical solutions is an example of an ethos deeply rooted in the approach of consensus-building and respect for the environment which characterise Indigenous communities across Australia and the Pacific. 

In recent years, Indigenous advocates from Australia and the Pacific have played a pivotal role in climate negotiations including the landmark ‘1.5 to stay alive’ position adopted under the Paris agreement. This advocacy has highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on communities in the Pacific and Australia and emphasises the need for policies that address both environmental and social impacts. 

This is not just about representation — it’s about survival. The climate crisis threatens the cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and very existence of not just Indigenous peoples but the whole of humanity. By centring their voices at COP31, the event would become a platform for transformative action rooted in justice and sustainability. 

As a global community we are all about to face our toughest challenge yet. 

If Australia and the Pacific co-host COP31, they have an opportunity and responsibility to lead—across boardrooms and communities alike. Visionary leaders can seize this moment to forge innovative emission reductions, engage in meaningful dialogue that honours Indigenous wisdom, and champion bold climate action. Leadership must bridge policy and grassroots action, ensuring real solutions, not just rhetoric. The region can set a powerful precedent for inclusive, accountable climate leadership. 

Who better to advise the world on how to deal with rapid and unpredictable climate change, than a region, rich in traditional knowledge, lived experiences, and long-standing connection to the land and sea extend back tens of millennia with the longer view, memory and systems that underline the resilience and fortitude to survive in some of the toughest environments on our planet?