Pacific leaders put climate finance and ocean impacts on pre-COP agenda
UN pre-COP discussions have opened in Fiji ahead of COP31, with Pacific leaders pressing for action on the 1.5°C target, community access to finance and the effects of warming on oceans.
UN pre-COP climate talks opened in Nadi, Fiji, on Monday, bringing Pacific priorities into discussions ahead of COP31 in Turkey next month. A one-day retreat is also scheduled in Tuvalu.
Fiji climate minister Lynda Tabuya said the region’s priorities were keeping the 1.5°C warming limit within reach, directing climate finance to communities that need it and giving oceans greater weight in climate policy.
Australia’s climate minister Chris Bowen, who will lead COP31 negotiations, said the talks would draw on the knowledge of communities dealing with climate change on the frontline.
A UN report cited by France 24 says Pacific island countries are experiencing sea-level rise at twice the global average. The report also estimated developing countries need $310–365 billion for adaptation, while $26 billion was available in adaptation finance in 2023.
Attendance remains unclear. Fewer than a dozen world leaders had publicly confirmed they would attend, while Australia’s projection of 4,000 participants from 60 nations did not include a full breakdown. Only a handful of leaders are expected at the Tuvalu retreat.
Australia has faced activist criticism over its fossil fuel policies as it prepares to chair COP31 negotiations in partnership with the Pacific. Officials have pointed to the country’s expansion of renewable energy.
