Adapting to the crises of global warming and climate change and reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels are the highest priorities repeatedly identified by Pacific Island leaders. While progress is being made on a number of fronts, sustainable transport, based on minimizing the use of fossil fuels, is currently the ‘missing link’. The University of the South Pacific (USP) and the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) have combined forces to establish the Oceania Centre for Sustainable Transport (OCST) as a catalyst for applied research in this critical field and importantly to develop practical solutions for the future.