Over a decade ago, I dropped out of university to crew my first voyage on the traditional voyaging vessel, the Uto ni Yalo. This voyage would take me from Fiji, to Vanuatu, on to Australia for the IUCN World Parks Congress and then finally on to Aotearoa. I was new to the world of sustainable sea transport, unsure, and intimidated by the vastness of the task at hand . But I just needed that one voyage. In fact, it only took the first leg from Fiji to Vanuatu for me to understand that not only was completing such a task possible, it was necessary for my understanding of both cultural and environmental preservation.
A 100% Renewable Pacific – a Pacific free from fossil fuels – could be that first leg in the global voyage to safe, clean and fair renewable energy. We know the journey to this reality will not be free from squalls or storms. It will not be all smooth sailing, and there will be times with very little wind in our sails. But for many communities in the Pacific, the time has come to travel that first leg, and insist that the world realises that not only is the voyage possible, it is necessary for a safe and livable future.
Diesel imports cost the Pacific roughly $USD 6 billion per annum, and renewable energy is cheaper than it has ever been. Solar and battery systems now outperform fossil fuels in energy generation. In October 2025, it was reported that renewable energy surpassed coal as the world’s leading source of energy for the first time ever. These all signal an end of an era for fossil fuels, but we need to ensure it is done correctly, without causing further harm by extracting from our deep sea bed, and with public finance for the just and equitable energy transition.
In 2023, 350.org Pacific brought together Pacific Island youth for the Pacific Power Up Gathering, to dream up a future where everyday people demand renewable energy that matches their needs. This was also an opportunity to co-create the story we tell in the court of public opinion, that garners the same support as our fight against fossil fuels. Because the story of a policy or infrastructural initiative is just as important as the technicalities themselves.
A story of community-based renewable energy is the 350.org Pacific Solar Scholars pilot project that began in Fiji after the pandemic, and continues this year across the Pacific. The 350.org Pacific Climate Warriors reached out to the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities in the Philippines who designed a module called Re-Charge Tek Paks, alongside survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. The simple solar PV system was made for off-grid power allocation, aimed, but not limited to, disaster response. In light of increasing climate impacts and their impact on energy access, we wanted to learn how everyday people could build and maintain these simple suitcase-sized generators to power medical equipment, communications and light during emergencies. Our hope is to now run a “training for trainers” across our network to contextualise this module across the Pacific, because we know that each country and community requires a unique approach.
Civil society involvement can and must ensure that the path to a 100% Renewable Pacific is consultative, community-informed and that it does not repeat the mistakes of the fossil fuel industry. That the renewable energy revolution in the Pacific is founded on free, prior and informed consent, because a non-consensual land-grab for renewable energy is just as dangerous as a land-grab for coal or gas. Resourced groups can provide technical assistance to communities, as finance processes and applications are often cumbersome and inaccessible. They can also help reach the 74% of the Pacific in remote and rural areas that are not well-serviced by existing grids.
The window to stay below 1.5℃ is fast closing. We saw in last year’s NDC Synthesis Report that we are off track, but not completely lost. Addressing this ambition gap is no longer a scientific question, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes that clear. It is no longer a legal question, the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion made that clear. It is a political question. To which the Pacific, as usual, has its own answer. We’ve seen leadership from the Pacific in the Port Vila Call for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific, in the Pacific countries that endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty, the Pacific countries with the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, and some of the most ambitious NDCs in the world. Similarly, a 100% Renewable Pacific can and must be a lighthouse that sets the principles and guardrails for a 100% Renewable Planet.
We understand that the next steps towards a 100% Renewable Pacific must be taken together. Pacific peoples deserve a future beyond fossil fuels, built on our terms and inspired by our values. A future that allows for the energy democracy, economic freedom, and the multiplying effects on education, empowerment and innovation that renewable energy access brings. But as we take this forward to COP31 and beyond, we recognize it is only one pillar of our hopes to stay below 1.5℃. We expect other countries to follow suit, inspired by Pacific leadership, and rapidly implement a phase out of fossil fuels – imported, domestic and exported – once and for all.