ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a broad overview of climate change law in the Pacific region. Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICs) have consistently punched above their weight in respect of climate change law at the domestic, regional, and international level – earning themselves a reputation as being ‘climate leaders’. At the international level, PICs have been instrumental in shaping the climate change treaty regime. At the regional and national levels, PICs have also taken concerted climate action – both to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Such climate leadership has not, however, been emulated by many other countries. As a result, PICs are now considering legal avenues beyond the climate treaty regime in an attempt to protect present and future generations of Pacific Islanders from the adverse effects of climate change.
