Alliance of Small Island States

Stance on Fossil Fuels

AOSIS calls for immediate political action to phase out the usage of fossil fuels within the next decades, halving the global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and reaching net-zero by 2050 (AOSIS 2023). Ending fossil fuel subsidies, which are giving these fuels an unfair competitive advantage over cleaner forms of energy, is key to reaching these goals and mitigating global warming (AOSIS 2023). AOSIS particularly calls on the G20 economies, accounting for about 80% of carbon emissions worldwide, urging them to pursue radical action to stay under the 1.5C limit, a crucial threshold for the AOSIS countries’ survival (AOSIS 2023a).

For small island developing states, it is imperative that the international community turn its attention to market-based solutions as a way to counteract the threat of climate change. For example, the implementation of fossil fuel extraction levies on major economies, such as China and the US, are among the primary actors responsible for the production of coal, oil, and gas. These states need to work in conjunction with state-owned enterprises and corporations such as BP and PetroChina, to pay these levies. If these measures are not taken it poses the risk of SIDs becoming collateral damage due to profiteering by the fossil fuel industry. 

Despite what the name AOSIS may suggest, the organization also has non-island member states such as Guyana and Suriname. This relates to the fact that AOSIS is not merely concerned with rising sea levels but with the challenges continuing climate change presents to vulnerable coastal communities in the developing world. AOSIS is therefore also related to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), whom the UN recognizes to have special economic challenges (United Nations, n.d.). Sustainable economic growth in the face of climate change is a primary goal for SIDS and thereby AOSIS, as reflected in the SAMOA Pathway.