ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we explore the ways in which the global climate change policy process influences climate change activities in the Pacific Islands, and the way the Pacific Islands themselves influence the global climate change policy process. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is critical for the Pacific Islands because it is still widely regarded as the institution most likely to lead to reductions of greenhouse gases. Although few people think the UNFCCC can achieve reductions in emissions to a level to avoid significant climate impacts in the Pacific region, in theory every reduction in emissions increases the time the Pacific Islands have to adapt to climate change. Insight into the UNFCCC is therefore important for understanding the issue of climate change in the Pacific. Further, as suggested in Chapter 3, decision making under the UNFCCC is to some degree influenced by research on climate change, and as we show in subsequent chapters the decisions and processes implemented by the UNFCCC have some influence on climate change policy and planning, including in the Pacific Islands. Thus the UNFCCC is a critical part of the science-policy process that shapes responses to climate change in the Pacific.
