NADI: Ministers and climate negotiators will attend Fiji climate talks from October 5 to 8, as Pacific leaders press for stronger action on warming, finance and ocean protection before COP31.
Delegates will meet in Nadi, while senior participants will visit low-lying Tuvalu for a retreat and to see its land reclamation work. Tuvalu is planning for relocation if rising seas overwhelm the country.
Prime Minister Feleti Teo of Tuvalu urged governments to act urgently in his address to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. “Sea-level rise is not a future threat; it is a present reality,” Teo said.
Pacific leaders want countries to uphold the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. They are also seeking easier access to climate finance and greater attention to the effects on oceans.
However, attendance has drawn criticism. Fewer than a dozen world leaders have publicly confirmed plans to attend, mostly from the Pacific.
Australia’s Climate Minister Chris Bowen, who will preside over COP31 negotiations, rejected suggestions that the gathering had failed to attract enough leaders.
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He explained that preparatory meetings usually involve ministers and senior negotiators. Organisers have not released a detailed attendance breakdown.
Meanwhile, Bowen defended Australia’s energy policy against criticism of its fossil fuel extraction. He argued that the country’s expanding renewable energy sources were essential to moving away from fossil fuels.
Read: UN Climate Talks Push Faster Action on Emissions Cuts
Australia secured its negotiating role through an agreement with Turkey after withdrawing from the contest to host COP31. The November summit will take place in Turkey’s Antalya province.
