United And Unwavering: We Are Here To Lead

By Hilton T. Kendall, Ministry of Transportation, Communications & Information Technology, Republic of the Marshall Islands

I have sat at these tables before. I have heard the same old arguments—too soon, too costly, too complicated. I have seen the same tactics—delay, divide, distract.

But we are not the same Pacific we were years ago.

The Pacific has done the hard yards. We have built alliances, gathered evidence, and sharpened our strategy. We understand the process now. We know how this system works, and we know how to push it toward real change. That is why we come to these negotiations calm, focused, and unshaken.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands, alongside Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, stands as a united front. We are bringing everything to this moment—our fight, our research, and our global allies. Over 50 countries now back our call for a strong greenhouse gas levy at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a policy that will cut emissions and support the world’s most vulnerable.

For too long, the shipping industry has escaped accountability. It is one of the last major sectors without a global plan to reduce emissions in line with the 1.5°C goal. The climate crisis does not wait. Every year, the Pacific faces stronger cyclones, rising seas, and land loss. Our people do not have the luxury of endless discussions. That is why we walk into these negotiations with a clear purpose: to secure a deal that delivers climate action, not climate delay.

As we step into these negotiations, we carry with us the spirit and determination of the late Tony de Brum, our former Foreign Minister and Climate Ambassador. Tony was a giant in our fight for climate justice. As a child, he witnessed the blinding flash of nuclear tests over Bikini Atoll and transformed that experience into a 30-year crusade against nuclear proliferation and environmental destruction. His leadership was instrumental in forming the High Ambition Coalition during the Paris Agreement negotiations.

Tony taught us that no nation is too small to make a difference, that courage and conviction can move the world. We honor his memory by continuing his work, by refusing to accept half-measures, and by standing firm in our demands for a sustainable future.

Through the Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST), we have built more than just a case for action—we have built a movement.

We have done the research. We have legal opinions. We have the numbers. We have rallied voices from the Pacific, Caribbean, African countries, from the developing and developed world and senior industry players to stand with us. We know the shipping industry’s excuses before they are even made, and we are prepared to dismantle them one by one.

And we are walking in together.

This is not just a fight for the Pacific. This is a fight for every nation whose survival depends on a global system that is fair, just, and accountable.

The science is clear: shipping must cut its emissions dramatically within this decade to stay within the 1.5°C pathway. Our proposal—a greenhouse gas levy—does exactly that.

This is not an abstract policy. It is a practical, effective, and fair solution that will:

Ensure shipping plays its part in the global climate fight rather than remaining an unchecked source of emissions.

Generate billions in climate finance to support small island states, developing nations, and a just transition.

Make clean fuels competitive by ensuring polluting fuels are no longer the cheaper option.

We are not here to negotiate away our future. We are not here to accept weak compromises that leave us drowning. The proposals put forward by some large shipping nations and industry groups simply do not go far enough. They do not align with 1.5°C. They do not provide the certainty needed to transition to cleaner fuels. They do not provide the funding that developing nations need. In short, they fail the world.

We will not accept that.

I think about my children and their children. I think about the land I was raised on—the land that my ancestors navigated to long before shipping lanes and trade routes existed. I think about the people of the Pacific, who have always found a way forward, no matter how rough the seas.

This is not just another round of negotiations. This is about survival.

We know what is at stake, and we are ready.

The Pacific is not here to ask. We are here to lead. Now, the world must decide: will it stand with us, or will it fail the test of history?

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