Pacific states and peoples inside global climate change negotiations

Speaker: Salā Dr George Carter, Australian National University (ANU)
Speaker bio:
Salā Dr George Carter is a Research Fellow with the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU). The broad focus of George’s research interest explores Pacific island peoples’ and states influence and agency in international and regional politics. His research interests explore international politics of (negotiations, security, gender, finance, justice, science and traditional knowledge) climate change, geopolitics and regionalism(s), as well as the foreign policy and diplomacies of small island states in the Pacific. Furthermore, he is interested in indigenous philosophy and non-western international relations that focus on the longstanding history, practices, protocols and principles of Pacific political communities, contributing to Oceanic Diplomacy.
Seminar abstract:
For more than 35 years Pacific islands’ states and peoples have led and shaped the global agenda in global climate change negotiations. This seminar will detail the multi-year research that traces, follows and works with Pacific states and peoples inside the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) annual Conference of the Parties. In utilising Global Talanoa (global political ethnography and talanoa) the research gives access inside the negotiations where the project has studied and provided research brokerage for leaders, state delegates and civil society in the negotiations over the years. Situated at the intersection and interplay of international politics and climate change, it follows the work of Pacific states from the Paris COP21 in 2015, to the recent Sharm El Sheik COP27 in 2022 - how they have held space in shaping and influencing the negotiations agenda. The ‘Pacific society’ of officials, diplomats, civil society, activists and leaders have not only help build, but also reach consensus on climate action. Moreover, the research explores the coherence of various regional mechanisms, political processes and coalitions Pacific states have established over the years to manage the negotiations. Through research brokerage and ‘climate updated’ the presentation provides insights to the future of negotiations - and the case for the Australia and Pacific Islands climate change COP.