NEW YORK, USA – September 24, 2024 – H.E. President Hilda C. Heine addressed the Special High-Level Event on Climate Action convened by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York. In her intervention, President Heine underscored the escalating impacts of the climate crisis on vulnerable nations, highlighting the existential threat faced by atoll nations like the Marshall Islands, where rising seas, extreme weather events, and saltwater intrusion are already displacing communities, destroying infrastructure, and threatening food security.
President Heine stressed that the world is not on track to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, noting that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to secure a safe and livable future. She emphasized that this threshold remains the only viable pathway to protect frontline communities and safeguard fundamental human rights. President Heine recalled that, even within her first weeks of office, the Marshall Islands was forced to declare national emergencies as a result of devastating floods and droughts, a reality that underscores the urgency for decisive global action.
Despite its limited contribution to global emissions, the Marshall Islands has demonstrated leadership by submitting its third NDC in February 2024, committing to reduce emissions by at least 58 percent by 2035 compared to 2010 levels. This economy-wide plan charts a path toward transitioning away from fossil fuels and includes ambitious actions in sectors such as transport and energy. Drawing on traditional knowledge and innovation, the country has launched initiatives to transform its inter-island transport, combining revived canoe-building practices with modern hybrid sailing technology. The introduction of the cargo vessel Juren Ae, powered by wind and solar, represents one example of the state-of-the-art solutions that can reduce emissions significantly while supporting resilience and economic sustainability.
President Heine also emphasized that while the Marshall Islands has developed comprehensive strategies for emissions reductions, adaptation, and resilience, these plans will not be achievable without accessible and dedicated international climate finance, particularly for adaptation and loss and damage. She urged the world’s largest economies to fulfill their responsibilities by delivering stronger NDCs, phasing out dependence on fossil fuels, and supporting small island developing states in meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.
President Heine concluded with a call for renewed international cooperation, reminding leaders that while progress has been made since the Paris Agreement, the world must again come together to deliver hope and ensure a future in which all nations can survive and thrive. This Special High-Level Event on Climate Action serves as a milestone on the road to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where countries are expected to put forward more ambitious climate commitments for 2035 aligned with the 1.5 degree Celsius limit.
