A new international report is calling for structural changes in how the world supports island nations like the Philippines in responding to climate change, saying assistance must be long-term, community-led, and tailored to local realities.
Released in Granada, Spain, “Strengthening the Support Ecosystem: Stakeholder-Driven Insights to Accelerate Climate Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)” was published by Climatebase Fellows just weeks after the International Court of Justice issued a landmark opinion linking climate action to justice.
The report comes ahead of the COP30 climate talks in Brazil this November.
“This isn’t about charity or representation. It’s about power, systems, and investment. Islanders are more than capable of developing the solutions they need to solve the challenges they face,” said project lead Gabriella Hernandez.
“But for those solutions to thrive, we must strengthen support systems and ensure they have the necessary resources and opportunities to build more resilient futures,” she added.
SIDS, like the Philippines, only make up less than one percent of the world’s greenhouse emissions, but they are hit harder by harsher storms, rising seas, and the loss of biodiversity.
In Palawan, local groups and communities are working on initiatives that follow the report’s suggestions, but getting money and building things is still hard.
The Light at Home Palawan program is one of these initiatives; it has given solar home systems to over 1,200 homes in isolated regions and trained local business owners to maintain them.
Since 2016, the province’s Solar Electrification Program has delivered about 50,000 solar units, and USAID and the Department of Energy have set up mobile solar-powered platforms to provide emergency energy to hospitals.
Marine ecosystem restoration is also advancing through Indigenous-led mangrove planting in Busuanga and the Mangroves Against Disaster initiative, which aims to restore 1,700 hectares of mangrove forests for storm protection and potential income from blue carbon credits.
The Mantalingahan Landscape Conservation Project works to protect biodiversity-rich forests in southern Palawan while supporting Indigenous livelihoods.
Local knowledge hubs such as the Bataraza Learning and Innovation Hub and the Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation’s Sea Academy are building technical skills and empowering communities to lead conservation and coastal protection.
The report identified seven main gaps in support for SIDS: fragmented and short-term aid, lack of collaboration, challenges from size and remoteness, limited inclusion of local leaders in decision-making, restrictive funding pathways, inadequate capacity building, and insufficient access to relevant data.
Its recommendations include strengthening locally run innovation hubs, creating cross-island collaboration networks, reforming climate finance to support early-stage projects, aligning government policies with grassroots solutions, building equitable long-term partnerships, and investing in open data systems and digital access.
The full report can be accessed at www.theislandsproject.org.
