Pacific leaders press for climate finance and stronger ocean protections

Pacific leaders have urged stronger action on climate change as UN pre-COP talks opened in Fiji ahead of next month’s COP31 summit in Turkey. The discussions in Nadi and Tuvalu are focused on keeping the goal of limiting warming to 1.5C within reach, improving access to climate finance and giving greater weight to ocean protection. Fiji’s climate minister, Lynda Tabuya, said the region wanted finance to reach communities that need it and the ocean to have a stronger place in climate negotiations.

The Pacific is particularly exposed to rising seas, warming oceans and coral bleaching. A UN report said sea levels are rising at a record pace and that Pacific island countries are experiencing increases at twice the global average. The same report said as many as 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050.

It estimated that developing countries needed between $310bn and $365bn for adaptation, while only $26bn was available in 2023. Tuvalu is holding a one-day retreat for regional leaders as officials plan for the possible relocation of its population. The highest point in the capital, Funafuti, is just two metres above sea level, and two of the country’s nine coral atolls are already largely swamped, according to the report.

Australia’s climate minister, Chris Bowen, who is also president of the COP31 negotiations, said the talks should draw on the experience of Pacific communities living with climate change. Australia, however, has faced accusations of hypocrisy because it remains a major coal exporter. Greenpeace urged the country to match its climate statements with action against fossil fuels.

Fewer than a dozen world leaders have publicly confirmed attendance at the pre-COP gathering, prompting concern among some regional participants that Pacific priorities may not receive sufficient attention.