This article discusses recent developments in international climate change law, in respect of which Pacific island countries and territories (PICs) have made a particularly significant contribution. PICs have been instrumental in shaping the international climate change treaty regime since its inception in the early 1990s. Since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015, however, progress has stalled – and even more so since the global pandemic. With a focus on the Suva Declaration on Climate Change released prior to negotiations in Paris, this article assesses progress in two areas that have received considerable attention from PIC representatives due to their importance to the region: the long-term temperature goal and the Talanoa Dialogue; and the issue of loss and damage. While PICs have managed to make gains in both areas, climate change science indicates that current global efforts are insufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts for the Pacific region. In light of this, certain PIC leaders are looking outside of the international treaty system for other ways to protect their communities and ecosystems.

本文讨论了国际气候变化法的最新发展，在这方面太平洋岛国和领土 ( PIC ) 做出了特别重要的贡献。自 1990 年代初成立以来，PIC一直在塑造国际气候变化条约制度方面发挥着重要作用。然而，自 2015 年通过《巴黎协定》以来，进展停滞不前——自全球大流行以来更是如此。本文重点关注在巴黎谈判之前发布的《苏瓦气候变化宣言》，评估了PIC相当关注的两个领域的进展代表对该地区的重要性：长期温度目标和塔拉诺亚对话；以及丢失和损坏的问题。尽管PIC在这两个领域都取得了成功，但气候变化科学表明，当前的全球努力不足以避免太平洋地区遭受灾难性气候变化的影响。有鉴于此，某些事先知情同意的领导人正在寻找国际条约体系之外的其他方式来保护他们的社区和生态系统。