In this bulletin:
1. FIJI — Fiji to hold constitutional referendum on 09 December: PM Rabuka
2. PACIFIC — Pacific pre-COP opens with call for action on 1.5 to stay alive
3. PACIFIC — PNG commits PGK25 million to Tuvalu land reclamation as Pre-COP leaders see climate vulnerability
4. PACIFIC — Solomon Islands PM Wale calls on major emitters to take greayer climate responsibility
5. PACIFIC — Climate change making pregnancy and childbirth more dangerous: UN Climate Chief Stiell
6. PACIFIC — Pacific disability advocates demand seat at climate finance table
7. PACIFIC — Only two leaders from outside the Pacific attending crucial climate summit in Fiji
8. PACIFIC — Australia backs energy as it cops heat at climate talks
9. PACIFIC— COP31 president: ‘We are here to listen to the Pacific’
10. PACIFIC — Pacific cannot afford climate action delay: Yauvoli
11. PACIFIC — Rising sea levels attract modest attendance at pre-COP
12. FIJI— Fiji, Vanuatu strengthen bilateral cooperations ahead of COP31
13. FIJI — Fiji Electoral Commission weighs campaign suspension request
14. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji launches FJD$5.2 million five-year carbon market plan
15. PACNEWS BIZ — At Pre-COP31, Pacific Islands focus on investment needs for renewed ambitions
16. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG PM urges agencies to act on illegal transactions
17. PACNEWS DIGEST — Can Australia create lasting Climate impacts for the Asia-Pacific?
FIJI – REFERENDUM: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Fiji to hold constitutional referendum on 09 December: PM Rabuka
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Fiji will hold a national referendum on Wednesday, 09 December 2026, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has announced, setting the date for a vote that will give eligible Fijians a direct say on the country’s constitutional future.
Rabuka made the announcement in a national address Monday after President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu assented to the National Referendum Act 2026 on Friday.
“Today, I am pleased to re-affirm, and announce that: The National Referendum will be held on Wednesday, 09 December 2026,” Rabuka said.
He said the referendum would allow all eligible Fijians to exercise their democratic rights and make their own decision on the question or questions put to them.
Rabuka acknowledged that the referendum would generate differing views but said disagreement was a normal part of the democratic process.
“Every eligible Fijian should be free to express their views, ask questions, seek information and, ultimately, make their own decision
“Whatever our individual views may be, I ask that we conduct this national conversation peacefully, and respectfully, and allow the democratic process to take its course,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the Government, Parliament and independent electoral institutions each had responsibilities in ensuring the referendum was properly conducted.
The referendum will be administered by the Supervisor of Elections under the direction of the Electoral Commission and in accordance with the law.
Rabuka said the Government would respect the independence of the electoral institutions.
To allow the Electoral Commission and Fijian Elections Office to focus on the referendum, Rabuka said he had written to the Electoral Commission requesting the suspension of all general election campaigning until after the return of the referendum writ.
The President is expected to issue the writ on 9 November 2026, with polling to follow one month later on 09 December.
Votes will be counted after polling, with the referendum results expected to be announced by 14 December 2026, subject to completion of the processes required under the law.
Rabuka said the Electoral Commission would provide further information on the arrangements for the referendum.
The Commission is chaired by Justice Usaia Ratuvili, while Ana Mataiciwa is the Supervisor of Elections.
Rabuka urged voters to rely on official information from the Electoral Commission and Fijian Elections Office as the referendum process gets underway.
He said the constitutional process required voters to consider the issues carefully and participate fully.
“Our Constitution belongs to all of us.
“The decisions we make about our constitutional future demand our careful consideration and our full participation,” Rabuka said.
He encouraged Fijians to stay informed, take part in consultations, ask questions and listen respectfully to different views in the weeks leading up to polling day.
Rabuka said the final decision would rest with voters.
“When 9 December comes, the decision will be yours.
“Exercise your democratic right. Make your choice. Let your voice be heard,” he said.
He called for the referendum campaign and voting process to be conducted peacefully, saying Fijians could disagree on the constitutional questions while remaining united as a country.
“As a nation, we may hold different views, but we share one Fiji.
“Let us therefore approach this National Referendum peacefully, respectfully, and with a shared commitment to our country and its future,” Rabuka said…..PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31: SPREP PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Pacific pre-COP opens with call for action on 1.5 to stay alive
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—A powerful performance from the award-winning Primanavia Choir, welcoming thousands of delegates to Fiji, and calling for the protection of their home, set the tone for the next four days as the UNFCCC pre-COP31 gets underway in Nadi, Fiji.
“We are all honest about the challenge,” said Fiji’s Minister for Information, Climate Change and Environment, Lynda Tabuya. “Recent COP meetings have resulted in decisions and dialogues which have moved a number of issues forward but the big picture remains unchanged.
“A 1.5 degree overshoot is imminent, finance is not flowing at the speed or scale required, and many core challenges with the agenda remain unsolved. We need to act now.”
On Monday in Denarau, Minister Tabuya welcomed Ministers, Government officials and hundreds of delegates from more than 50 countries who are gathering in Fiji to drive climate action as part of pre-COP31.
Tabuya reiterated that Fiji will push for four critical priorities: keeping 1.5°C within reach; getting climate finance to the communities that need it; placing the ocean at the heart of global climate action; and amplifying Pacific leadership and voices.
The pre-COP meeting is being co-hosted by Fiji and Australia from 5- 8 October, while a special Leaders’ event from 5-6 October will take place in Tuvalu, a low-lying atoll on the frontlines of climate change.
“It’s appropriate that pre-COP begins with this Vale ni Vanua, a knowledge exchange, because pre-COP is about exchanging experiences and knowledge and ideas about how we can make COP31 a success,” said Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen.
“And no one is more important in that process than the Pacific, the Pacific which has done so little to cause climate change, and has so much at stake in combatting climate change. While every nation is impacted, none are more impacted than the nations of the Pacific.”
The pre-COP in Fiji will focus on keeping 1.5°C within reach, delivering cleaner and more secure energy, unlocking finance for vulnerable countries, safeguarding the ocean and protecting communities from worsening climate impacts.
“The science is clear that the world is dangerously close to exceeding the 1.5 degrees target,” said Tina Stege, of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Pacific COP31 Envoy for Oceania focusing on keeping 1.5 within reach.
“This is a call to action. The 1.5 goal represents the best chance for safety, security for our Pacific people. Ambition is not enough, it must be matched by finance for the energy transition, for building resilience and for responding to loss and damage that now cannot be avoided.”
The pre-COP follows the release of the Limiting Overshoot Report, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), warning that global temperature rise is set to cross 1.5°C, likely within the next few years, pushing climate risks and impacts to increasingly dangerous heights. According to the report, above 1.5°C, risks and impacts will intensify with every extra fraction of a degree and every year.
Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Mr Simon Stiell, said working collaboratively to find solutions is vital.
“We need to work faster and smarter to convert pledges and targets into real outcomes,” he said.
The pre-COP in Fiji and Tuvalu is a key stepping stone as the world looks to Türkiye for COP31. In the next four days, leaders and delegates will work to build climate and clean energy momentum and ensure every country can share in the jobs and economic benefits of the renewable energy transition.
The President of COP31, Murat Kurum, said they are in Fiji to listen to Pacific voices and bear witness to lived experiences of Pacific communities who have been unfairly placed at the forefront of climate impacts.
“We want to remind world leaders that promises do not hold back the sea or shield homes from the fire. Only delivery can save us,” he said.
“The COP31 Presidency has an action plan ranging from electrification to zero waste, resilient cities and oceans, all supported by finance. We will spend this week knocking heads together to get everyone on board so that the world comes to Antalya ready to deliver results.”
As part of the pre-COP, Fiji is hosting the Vale ni Vanua – Knowledge Exchange programme, highlighting youth climate leadership, presenting the latest climate science and showcasing solutions to climate impacts, including in maternal health, the ocean and agriculture.
Pre-COP will help drive more of the collective action making a worldwide impact, with a focus on delivering cleaner and more secure energy, unlocking investment and strengthening climate resilience……PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
PNG commits PGK25 million to Tuvalu land reclamation as Pre-COP leaders see climate vulnerability
FUNAFUTI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Papua New Guinea will provide Tuvalu with PGK5 million (AUD$1.59 million) a year for the next five years to support land reclamation as the low-lying island nation faces rising sea levels and climate change.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape announced the PGK25 million (AUD$7.95 million) commitment during a joint press conference with Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo in Funafuti on Monday.
Marape, the first visiting leader to arrive for the Leaders’ Segment of the Fiji-hosted Pre-COP, said the commitment would begin this year.
Reflecting on Pacific solidarity, Marape referred to the biblical teaching: “This is an indication that whilst we wait for everybody else to respond, let’s do what we must do,” Marape said.
Prime Minister Teo expressed his appreciation to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea for the commitment and for standing with Tuvalu as it confronts the impacts of climate change.
“Declarations alone cannot physically fix eroding coastlines without substantial capital and resources,” he said.
The announcement came as visiting leaders began a two-day Leaders’ Segment in Tuvalu aimed at giving political leaders and representatives of UNFCCC Parties a first-hand view of the country’s vulnerability.
The visiting leaders were welcomed by Tuvalu’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade Paulson Panapa before receiving a parade by the Tuvalu Police Service.
Students from SDA Primary School and Nauti Primary School performed a traditional welcoming chant before the leaders were received by Prime Minister Teo and a cultural performance by the Funafuti island community.
The delegation visited David’s Drill, a historic site in Funafuti, before travelling towards the Funafuti Causeway.
Students from Fetuvalu Secondary School lined the roadside near their school to welcome the visiting leaders.
At the Funafuti Causeway, one of the narrowest points of the island, the leaders were shown the physical constraints facing Tuvalu as a low-lying island state with limited land and growing exposure to sea-level rise.
Minister for Climate Change and Environment Dr Maina Vakafua Talia said bringing the Leaders’ Segment to Tuvalu was intended to allow leaders to witness the country’s climate vulnerability first-hand.
He said Tuvalu had consistently highlighted and advocated internationally on the realities facing small island states.
A key outcome of the Leaders’ Segment will be the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, which will be signed in Fiji as a Call for Action on climate change and sea-level rise.
The declaration draws on the traditional significance of the Taku Pakasoa, a highly valued Tuvaluan ornament and symbol of supreme honour and respect.
Each shell, known as the “paa”, represents UNFCCC member states standing together with Tuvalu in the global climate fight.
More than 35 countries are expected to participate in the Leaders’ Segment.
Taiwan has also provided assistance to Tuvalu towards preparations for the event.
Taiwan’s Ambassador to Tuvalu, Andrew Lin, presented the assistance to Minister Talia, reaffirming Taiwan’s continued support and wishing Tuvalu a successful Leaders’ Segment.
Talia thanked Taiwan for its continued friendship and support, saying the assistance would contribute to the successful hosting of the climate event.
Tuvalu also acknowledged Australia for providing similar assistance towards preparations for the Leaders’ Segment.
The visit comes ahead of COP31, with Tuvalu using the Leaders’ Segment to press for stronger international action on climate change and sea-level rise.
For Tuvalu, the message from the frontline is that climate vulnerability must not only be discussed in international negotiations but seen, heard and reflected in meaningful action…..PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31/DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS/SOL GOVT PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Solomon Islands PM Wale calls on major emitters to take greayer climate responsibility
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/SOL GOVT) —Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has called for stronger political action and accountability from major greenhouse gas emitters, warning that climate change is already an existential threat to Pacific Island countries.
Wale raised the issue during a meeting with United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed on the margins of Pre-COP31 in Nadi.
He called for concrete action to keep the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target alive and urged greater engagement with major political groupings, including the G7, G20 and BRICS.
Wale proposed research into historical and current emissions to help inform accountability mechanisms based on the polluter-pays principle.
He questioned whether the current United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process provides sufficient pathways to address historical emissions and hold major emitters accountable.
The Prime Minister also called for greater political attention to fossil fuel subsidies and continued investment in fossil fuels.
“The Pacific Ocean serves as a major carbon sink, removing carbon from the atmosphere and providing a global environmental service, while major emitters continue to benefit from this natural function without adequately compensating vulnerable Pacific countries,’ Wale said.
Mohammed acknowledged the need for greater engagement with major political groupings and pointed to multilateral development banks, including the International Monetary Fund(IMF) and World Bank, as potential drivers of change where political will and capital are available.
Wale also advocated wider adoption of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index to improve access to development and climate finance for Small Island Developing States, including grants and concessional financing.
Mohammed acknowledged the lack of progress in global climate ambition and the need for stronger action ahead of COP31.
At a separate high-level political session of the Pacific Action for Climate Transitions (PACT) Pre-COP31 event, Wale called for greater investment in nature-based solutions as part of the Pacific’s climate response.
He said coral reefs, mangroves and other coastal ecosystems should be recognised as critical infrastructure alongside conventional engineered solutions.
“In the Pacific, coral reefs protect 41 percent of hazard-exposed coastal people, the highest share of any region,” Wale said.
He said engineered seawalls can cost between US$15 million and US$20 million per kilometre, while investment in natural coastal protection can provide multiple benefits.
“Investing in reefs, coastal protection and mangroves is cost-effective adaptation, disaster-risk reduction and food security in one,” he said.
Wale cited the 2026 State of Finance for Nature report, which estimates about US$220 billion is invested annually in nature-based solutions, compared with approximately US$7.3 trillion flowing into activities that harm nature.
He said the imbalance showed the need to redirect investment towards approaches that strengthen environmental and economic resilience.
For Pacific countries, Wale said climate finance should support locally led and Pacific-designed mechanisms rather than complex systems that small administrations struggle to access.
He highlighted opportunities for Solomon Islands in marine planning, blue-carbon initiatives, community-based marine management, forest restoration and conservation.
“We do not ask the world to save our Blue Pacific Continent. This ocean already works for us: it feeds us, shelters us, and holds our culture and history,” Wale said.
He called for partnerships that allow Pacific countries to sustainably manage and invest in their natural capital on terms that reflect their circumstances and priorities…PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Climate change making pregnancy and childbirth more dangerous: UN Climate Chief Stiell
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has warned that rising temperatures are creating a new and potentially deadly threat to pregnant women, newborns and health systems, with the poorest and most vulnerable communities facing the greatest risks.
Speaking at a Wellcome event on the first day of the official Pre-COP31 ministerial meeting in Fiji on Monday, Stiell said extreme heat was increasingly affecting pregnancy and birth and warned that climate change was deepening existing inequalities in access to safe healthcare.
“The climate policy process is measured in degrees, targets and finance. But a deep test of climate action is far, far simpler: whether we protect life at its most fragile,” Stiell said.
He said the world was operating in a “new, hotter world” as countries continued to burn planet-heating fossil fuels, with the past 11 years breaking temperature records.
“Rising temperatures mean rising danger in pregnancy,” he said.
Stiell cited new data from a Wellcome-commissioned survey of maternal health professionals in five countries across five continents.
The survey found 73 percent of health professionals reported that heat-related cases or complications had increased over the past five years, while 81 percent were concerned or very concerned that extreme heat would increasingly threaten maternal, fetal and newborn health without further action.
Almost all respondents had cared for a pregnant woman, 98 percent, or a baby, 99 percent, whose health they believed had been affected by extreme heat.
Stiell said the figures represented more than statistics, pointing to pregnant women struggling to reach clinics in extreme heat, health workers operating in unsafe conditions and newborns requiring specialist care that may not be available in vulnerable countries.
“The picture is clear and very disturbing: as extreme heat worsens, pregnancy and birth are now a new faultline in the global climate crisis, and one which is potentially fatal,” he said.
Stiell warned that the impacts would not be felt equally.
“Someone working outdoors, living in unregulated housing, travelling far to a clinic, or relying on facilities without water, power or cooling, cannot be protected by advice alone,” he said.
“‘Staying cool’ is simply not an option when there is no cool place to go.”
He said climate change could widen existing inequalities in maternal healthcare, with geography, income and access to health services already influencing whether women can have safe pregnancies and births.
Stiell also highlighted the particular vulnerability of Pacific island countries, which have contributed little to global emissions but face some of the most severe climate impacts.
“For small islands – and other nations who did practically nothing to create this climate crisis – it underscores the need for support and support at scale,” he said.
He called for the commitment to triple adaptation finance agreed at COP30 in Belém to be delivered and urged countries and the wider financial system to mobilise US$1.3 trillion annually for developing countries.
The funding, he said, was needed to build resilience and accelerate the transition to clean, affordable and secure energy, which is also critical to reliable healthcare.
Stiell outlined three priorities for protecting maternal and newborn health from climate impacts.
The first is to include pregnancy and newborn care in national adaptation, heat and health plans.
“What is not named in a plan is too often not funded, not measured and not protected,” he said.
He called for maternal and newborn health to be incorporated into national adaptation and heat action plans, supported by resilient clinics, reliable water and electricity and trained health workers.
The second priority is turning evidence into practical protection, including clearer guidance, health worker training, heat alerts and facilities equipped with water, power and other essential services before extreme events occur.
The third is improving data collection and analysis to identify where risks are increasing and determine which interventions are effective.
“Harm that is not counted is too easily ignored,” Stiell said.
He said stronger data would help identify communities facing the greatest exposure and guide climate finance and technology support.
Stiell welcomed the Belém Gender Action Plan and the Belém Adaptation Indicators as tools that could strengthen gender-responsive climate action, improve data and finance, and track progress towards climate-resilient health services.
He also commended the Türkiye COP31 Presidency and Australia’s President of Negotiations for making health a key priority at COP31, building on Brazil’s work at COP30.
Stiell said the issue should be treated as a shared responsibility.
“Across every culture, the arrival of a child is precious.
“A changing climate must never be accepted as a reason pregnancy and birth become less safe.
“A newborn’s healthy start must never depend on a family’s ability to escape the heat,” he said.
He said action on climate and maternal health was urgent and required governments, health systems, climate negotiators and development partners to work together…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Pacific disability advocates demand seat at climate finance table
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific disability advocates are demanding that persons with disabilities have a direct role in climate decision-making and access to climate finance, warning that current systems are leaving some of the region’s most vulnerable communities behind.
Speaking at the Fiji Pre-COP31 Stakeholder Programme in Nadi, Pacific Disability Forum representative Sainimili Tawake said climate change was already threatening the safety, dignity and survival of persons with disabilities across the Pacific.
“For persons with disabilities across the Pacific, the climate crisis is already stripping away safety, dignity, and the very conditions needed to survive,” Tawake said.
She said rising sea levels, stronger cyclones, water insecurity and damage to critical infrastructure were creating immediate risks, but the disproportionate impact on persons with disabilities was largely the result of exclusion from planning and investment.
“The disproportionate risks faced by persons with disabilities are not natural inevitabilities, nor are they caused by impairment
“They are created and intensified by inaccessible infrastructure, exclusionary evacuation planning, and structural neglect,” she said.
Tawake said there could be no climate justice without disability justice.
She highlighted experiences across Tuvalu, Kiribati and Fiji, where inaccessible evacuation centres, warning systems, water infrastructure and temporary education arrangements were putting persons with disabilities at greater risk during climate emergencies.
In Tuvalu, she said evacuation centres often lacked ramps and accessible sanitation, creating physical barriers for people with mobility impairments.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing people could also miss emergency warnings when systems relied mainly on audible sirens, while blind and visually impaired people faced additional risks when disaster-damaged environments changed rapidly without accessible information.
In Kiribati, saltwater intrusion and growing pressure on freshwater supplies were creating additional barriers for people with mobility impairments when water collection points were moved or centralised.
Tawake said recent floods and cyclones in Fiji had also exposed gaps in education support for children with disabilities when schools and community facilities were damaged.
“These are not isolated logistical glitches; they are systemic erasures,” she said.
Tawake called for disability inclusion to be built directly into the operation of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage.
She said disasters could cause losses beyond homes and income, including the destruction of assistive devices, disruption of personal support networks, loss of medication and interruptions to rehabilitation services.
The Loss and Damage Fund should therefore establish a dedicated mechanism for disability-inclusive reconstruction and recovery, she said.
“Loss and damage assessments must account for the specific socioeconomic and physical costs incurred by persons with disabilities,” Tawake said.
She also called for climate finance institutions, including the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund, to require dedicated funding for universal accessibility, reasonable accommodation, accessible digital communications and assistive technologies.
“Labeling without budgeting is tokenism,” she said.
Tawake said complex international funding requirements were also preventing smaller national and community-based Organisations of Persons with Disabilities from accessing climate finance.
She called for simplified small-grant and direct-access mechanisms that would allow local disability organisations to design and manage climate projects themselves.
“If persons with disabilities cannot access, influence, and equitably benefit from climate capital, that finance is complicit in perpetuating inequality,” she said.
Tawake said persons with disabilities should not be treated as passive recipients of climate assistance.
“We are not passive beneficiaries awaiting your charity. We are rights-holders, knowledge-holders, and the rightful architects of our own resilience,” she said.
She urged governments and negotiators heading into Pre-COP31 and COP31 to ensure persons with disabilities and their representative organisations were involved in climate policy, financing, implementation, monitoring and accountability.
“Do not speak of inclusion while persons with disabilities remain outside the rooms where climate decisions are made,” Tawake said.
“The mandate from our communities is clear, unified, and absolute: Nothing About Us Without Us.”
She said every climate response must ensure that persons with disabilities were included in decisions that directly affected their survival and resilience.
“Every person on board. Every voice heard. Every right protected,” said Tawake…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: SMH PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Only two leaders from outside the Pacific attending crucial climate summit in Fiji
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (SMH)—Only two leaders from nations beyond the Pacific are attending the pre-COP meeting in Fiji this week hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu, as Climate Minister Chris Bowen insists the talks are a crucial to focussing world attention on the threat to the region ahead of next month’s UN climate conference.
The Albanese government faces intense pressure to justify the cost, estimated at over $20 million (US$13,4 million), and to live up to promises to champion the Pacific’s climate concerns on a world stage while responding to a global energy crisis and staving off accusations they are a distraction from domestic cost of living pressures.
Australian Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Australian taxpayers’ money was being well spent.
“This is our most important diplomatic engagement in the Pacific, certainly this term, probably for longer than this term,” he said in a press conference in Nadi.
Pre-COP meetings between senior officials are normally held in the weeks before annual UN ‘Conference of the Parties’ Paris Agreement talks to help narrow the agenda before leaders and ministers engage, but this year Australia invited world leaders as part of its efforts to deepen its security ties across the region.
The most senior world leader who had agreed to attend was Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who cancelled after heavy monsoons flooded Bangkok and other regions, triggering a national disaster response.
Fourteen nations have sent leaders, although Timor-Leste and Mauritius are the only nations from beyond the Pacific and Melanesia. Albanese is representing Australia, but New Zealand’s prime minister, Christopher Luxon, is not attending as their government is currently in caretaker mode.
The Pacific and Melanesian leaders at the talks come from Fiji, Cook Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Nations that initially accepted the invitation but did not send leaders include Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde and the Maldives.
In his speech at the opening of the talks, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said it was hugely significant that leaders came to the Pacific for the event, describing the world’s largest ocean not only as the “engine room” of the world’s climate, but the area facing the most significant impacts of climate change.
“We asked you to come to the Pacific because some things cannot be understood from a distance. In the days ahead you will stand on Tuvalu’s shores where the climate crisis is not a forecast … I am asking you to look at us a bellwether indicating the scale of the challenges to come.”
On Tuesday, delegations will visit Tuvalu, one of the nations that faces the most immediate existential threat from climate change, a visit that Fiji’s climate minister, Lynda Tabuya, said would be crucial in bringing the threat of climate change into sharp focus.
Tabuya said Fiji and the Pacific have “four non-negotiable policy pillars” in the talks, including keeping the Paris 1.5 degrees target within reach and the creation of a mechanism for the Pacific to access climate finance. “Pacific nations have contributed the least to this crisis, yet we bear its highest costs,” she said.
The talks come a month after the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau at the start of September, where China’s growing influence on the region dominated discussions.
Bowen had hoped that this year’s COP talks would be co-hosted with the Pacific and held in Australia, but Turkey won the right to host the talks during a diplomatic showdown in Brazil last year. During those negotiations Bowen was appointed to the newly created role of President of Negotiations at the COP, which will be held in the resort city of Antalya in November.
Bowen said the relationship between Australia and Turkey was cooperative and close. “We no longer have two teams. We have one team, which happens to come from two different countries. We are working hand in glove. We are meeting daily, comparing our notes, working on challenges,” he said.
Also on Monday, Bowen announced Australia would spend $7.29 million (US$5.08 million) on a package to accelerate the renewables’ rollout in the Pacific, and a new agreement to support Vanuatu’s renewable energy transition.
He said the package would strengthen economic and energy security across the region, putting downward pressure on prices while cutting emissions.
Despite Australia’s active support for the Pacific, a gulf has emerged between the priorities of the region and those of Australia and Turkey.
Pacific nations are still demanding a focus on a just transition from fossil fuels in order to stabilise the climate at 1.5 degrees of warming, while Turkey and Australia have shifted their focus from the contentious issue of fossil fuels to a push to accelerate electrification.
Last month the UN’s environment program released a report confirming that the 1.5 degree target had been broken, and that world governments’ current policies put the planet on a trajectory of 2.8 degrees of warming by the end of the century.
Tuvalu Climate Minister Dr Maina Talia condemned leaders of major greenhouse polluting nations for failing to attend. “It’s immoral, I would say, and it’s unacceptable,” he told The Saturday Paper, adding criticism of Australia for its continued expansion of gas and coal projects.
“Being a good neighbour is doing what ought to be done, doing the right thing,” he said. “Are they good neighbours to the Pacific or not? That is a question Australia should be pondering.”
Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan has described the Pre-COP conference as a farce.
“We’ve got the prime minister leaving the country in a cost-of-living crisis to attend a leaders’ event, and we think there might be seven or eight leaders there, we don’t know,” he told the ABC.
Asked if Australia’s standing in the region would be damaged should it abandon the net zero target and measures designed to reach it, Tehan said Australia would be in a better position to help the Pacific with a strong economy.
“I don’t think we shouldn’t be helping the Pacific right now, but I do think that we’re much better off if we’re helping the Pacific with a strong economy where we are making sure that we’re looking after Australians,” said Tehan…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: AAP PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Australia backs energy as it cops heat at climate talks
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (AAP)—A $7.3 million (US$5.08 million) programme to accelerate renewable energy generation in the Pacific has been launched by the federal government in response to criticism of its climate credentials.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced the deal with Vanuatu at the pre-COP31 in Fiji on Monday, alongside a memorandum of understanding designed to boost the nation’s renewable energy workforce and development.
But the deal comes as Australia faces renewed scrutiny over its fossil fuel exports and as the government considers the approval of a major coal-mine expansion.
Ministers and participants from more than 50 nations are expected to attend the four-day climate summit in the Pacific before the headline United Nations’ Conference of the Parties meeting in Turkey in November.
Australia’s first funding commitment at the event was designed to help Vanuatu expand renewable energy resources, Bowen said, including grid modelling and more early career engineers.
“This is the sort of practical action that Australia takes to help the Pacific transition away from fossil fuels,” he said.
“Some Pacific countries spend 25 per cent of their (gross domestic product) on diesel … that’s terrible for emissions, it’s terrible for respiratory health, and it’s terrible for the economy.”
The funding could help Vanuatu electrify all of its government buildings by 2030, including schools and hospitals, Energy Efficiency Council chief executive Luke Menzel said.
‘If Vanuatu can do it, Australia can do it, and so can the world,” he said.
But the announcement came as other nations questioned Australia’s climate record, pointing to its ongoing expansion of fossil fuel exports as their nations face rising sea levels.
The Hunter Valley Operations project, which would extend coal mining in NSW until 2045, is waiting for federal approval after the NSW Independent Planning Commission gave its go-ahead on Wednesday.
The Australia Institute and Australian Conservation Foundation placed a full-page advertisement in the Fiji Times as pre-COP31 began, apologising to Pacific islands for the coal mine expansion and calling it a “betrayal”
Australia had a track record of acknowledging climate change without addressing fossil fuels as a key cause, Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s COP31 lead Simon Bradshaw said.
An exceptionally hot European summer and fears of the impact from a powerful El Nino weather cycle, which is characterised by warm ocean temperatures, could add to the sense of urgency at the climate meetings.
Countries such as Fiji and Tuvalu contribute a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions but face some of the most severe consequences of climate change, including rising seas, extreme heat, droughts and saltwater intrusion.
Amnesty International secretary-general Agnes Callamard said world leaders must listen to Pacific communities at the pre-COP event and act.
‘Concern without action will not hold back the tide,” she said…. PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
COP31 president: ‘We are here to listen to the Pacific’
NADI, 06 OCT0BER 2026 (FIJI SUN)—COP31 President-designate Murat Kurum has pledged to fight “with all our strength” to prevent Pacific families from being forced from their homes by climate change, promising the Antalya summit will focus on action rather than talk.
Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change made the commitment during the opening of Vale ni Vanua: The Knowledge Exchange in Denarau.
‘We are here to listen to the Pacific,” he said.
Kurum said some Pacific people faced losing their homes and islands if climate change continued.
“It is high time that we stop it, that we take action now,” he said.
He quoted Reverend James Bhagwan’s words: ‘When you cut a root, the whole house is shaken.”
Kurum said he made the promise together with Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.
He described COP31 as an “implementation” summit, built on dialogue, consensus and action.
The plan has 10 themes, including energy, oceans, food and health.
It also sets six global goals for 2035. One is to raise the share of electricity in the world’s energy use by 35 per cent.
Another is to cut the expected rise in waste from towns and cities by at least half.
Kurum said the world should use artificial intelligence for clean technology ‘but we will never allow it to threaten our future” ……PACNEWS
PAC – PRECOP31: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Pacific cannot afford climate action delay: Yauvoli
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) —Climate overshoot is already a reality for Pacific countries, with every fraction of a degree above the 1.5°C global temperature goal adding to risks that could persist for centuries.
Fijian diplomat and global public policy expert Ambassador Amenatave Yauvoli said Pacific countries could not afford to treat climate overshoot as a distant or abstract threat.
“Overshoot is not an abstract future scenario. It is not an abstract. It’s real,” he said.
Yauvoli made the comments at the Pre-COP31 Investing in Natural Capital: The Pacific Opportunity event organised by Pacific Action for Climate Transitions (PACT) and hosted by the Fiji National University and Monash University in Nadi.
He said the issue was about how much additional risk accumulated, which losses could still be addressed or avoided, and whether countries and communities had enough time, finance and institutional capacity to prepare for changes that could persist long after global temperatures peaked.
Yauvoli said exceeding 1.5°C would contribute to further sea-level rise because oceans, glaciers and ice sheets respond slowly, with impacts potentially continuing for centuries.
“Every fraction of a degree, and every year above 1.5, therefore matters.”
He said changes in the ocean would compound risks to ecosystems, food security, livelihoods and national economies across the Pacific.
Yauvoli also stressed the deteriorating state of Pacific ecosystems, citing the 2025 State of Environment report, which found overall environmental conditions were fair to poor because of climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and unsustainable resource use.
He said investment in blue and green natural capital must be treated as a climate, economic and health imperative.
“The challenges are so enormous, and we cannot do it alone.”
Yauvoli called for durable partnerships and greater access to finance from domestic, bilateral, multilateral and philanthropic sources.
He said Pacific countries needed timely action to prevent communities being locked into greater exposure as climate risks intensified….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: AAP PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Rising sea levels attract modest attendance at pre-COP
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (AAP)—Leaders from 13 countries will join Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a tour of one of the world’s lowest-lying nations to witness the effects of climate change firsthand.
The pre-COP31 climate summit will transport the delegation more than 1000km from Fiji to visit the island nation on Tuesday, where its land sits an average of two metres above sea level.
But only one national leader from outside the Pacific is expected to attend the event, potentially limiting its reach.
The visit will take place on the second day of the pre-COP31 event, held a month before the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties climate talks in Turkey, where Australia will host negotiations.
Leaders from nations including Mauritius, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands will attend the Tuvalu event, along with ministers from another 16 countries such as France, India, Singapore and New Zealand.
Representatives from the European Union and United Nations are also expected, and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said the turnout would be a first for the event, which was typically a “much more sedate” affair.
‘This is the first pre-COP where … world leaders have been invited at all,” he said.
“As the president of Palau said, if you get one prime minister, you’re doing well because prime ministers and presidents don’t go to pre-COP.”
Communities on Tuvalu’s main island are expected to show off efforts to adapt and protect their coastlines from rising seas, erosion and storm surges, including a project that could reclaim 20 hectares of land by the end of 2026.
Pacific nations won the right to host the pre-COP event in a compromise after Australia lost its bid to host COP31 in Adelaide.
But Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told the attendees that the event would be a vital to show the world the toughest impacts of climate change.
“We ask you to come to the Pacific because some things cannot be understood from a distance,” he said.
“In the days ahead, you will stand on Tuvalu soils. There, the climate crisis is not a forecast, it is a king tide at the door … and the hardest of questions: how long can we continue to stay?”
After landing in Nadi on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the summit would provide important context for nations outside the region.
“It is important that Pacific voices are heard because the Pacific is the front line of action on climate change,” he said.
“For many of the nations represented by leaders here, it is literally a threat to their very existence, which is why the world must act,” he said…PACNEWS
FIJI- DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Fiji, Vanuatu strengthen bilateral cooperations ahead of COP31
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Fiji and Vanuatu have reaffirmed their longstanding bilateral relationship, with the two countries agreeing to deepen cooperation across trade, labour mobility, climate resilience, security and regional priorities.
Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met his Vanuatu counterpart, Prime Minister Jonatham Napat, on the margins of the Pre-COP31 conference in Nadi Monday.
The leaders discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, labour mobility, agriculture, tourism, education, climate resilience, maritime connectivity and infrastructure.
Rabuka thanked Vanuatu for allocating land to Fiji in Port Vila and welcomed continued cooperation on its development.
Fiji also welcomed Vanuatu’s interest in expanding defence cooperation, including peacekeeping training and broader security capacity-building.
The two leaders discussed ongoing maritime boundary negotiations and reaffirmed their commitment to resolving outstanding issues peacefully and in accordance with international law.
Climate change was also a key focus, with Fiji and Vanuatu agreeing on the need for a strong and united Pacific position ahead of Pre-COP31 and COP31.
They highlighted climate finance, loss and damage and efforts to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach as key priorities for the region.
Rabuka commended Vanuatu’s leadership on climate justice and its contribution to advancing Pacific priorities in international forums.
Napat said Vanuatu looked forward to working closely with Fiji on shared bilateral and regional priorities for the benefit of both countries.
The leaders also discussed cooperation through the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), including efforts to advance the MSG Trade Agreement and strengthen regional unity.
The bilateral meeting was held as Pacific countries prepare for COP31, with climate finance and the protection of the 1.5°C goal among key issues for the region….PACNEWS
FIJI – ELECTION/POLITICS: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 1: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Fiji Electoral Commission weighs campaign suspension request
SUVA, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) —The Fiji Electoral Commission has yet to decide whether General Election campaigning will be suspended during the National Referendum campaign period, as the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) begins preparations for the December 9 vote while continuing its General Election preparations.
The Commission confirmed it would consider and determine Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s request for General Election campaigning to be suspended until after the return of the Writ for the Referendum.
Under section 15(2) of the National Referendum Act, the Commission will determine whether General Election campaigning and related activities governed by Part 4 of the Electoral Act 2014 should be suspended for all or part of the referendum campaign period.
The Commission said it would announce its decision at a later date.
It must also determine and announce the campaign period for the National Referendum.
At the same time, preparations for the upcoming General Election will continue.
Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa said the FEO had already begun its work.
“For the FEO, there is a lot of work ahead of us, but that work has already started. Our teams are ready, and our preparations are moving forward. Our priority is to make sure Fijians know what they need to do, where they can get assistance and where they can get information they can trust.”
The Centre for Democracy and Dialogue (CDD) has written to Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Usaia Ratuvili urging the Commission not to suspend General Election campaigning.
CDD chief executive officer Nilesh Lal argued that the constitutional conditions necessary to trigger the referendum had not yet been satisfied because the Constitution Amendment Bill had not completed its third reading.
“This raises an obvious and important legal question: how can 9 December be treated as the legally fixed referendum polling day when the Constitution Amendment Bill has not yet passed in accordance with section 160, no referendum writ could yet have been issued pursuant to that process, and the statutory mechanism for fixing the polling day has therefore not been completed?”
CDD argued that section 15(2) of the National Referendum Act was conditional upon there being a day fixed for voting at a referendum.
“Accordingly, in CDD’s view, the statutory precondition for the Electoral Commission to exercise the power under section 15(2) has not arisen. Any purported suspension of general election campaigning under section 15(2) at this stage would therefore be unlawful and beyond the power presently conferred on the Commission by that provision.”
CDD also questioned Mr Rabuka’s request to the Commission.
“Section 15(2) places that discretion in the Electoral Commission, not in the Prime Minister.”
It said the Electoral Commission must exercise its own independent judgment.
“The legislation provides that the Commission ‘may determine’ whether a suspension is imposed. It neither requires the Commission to impose one nor empowers the Prime Minister to direct it to do so.”
CDD said the General Election was constitutionally required and argued that the referendum remained contingent on constitutional steps that had not yet occurred.
“The general election is constitutionally required. The proposed referendum is presently contingent upon constitutional steps which have not yet occurred. A contingent process should not be permitted to interfere with or compress the conduct of a constitutionally mandated national election.”
Meanwhile, postal voting applications for the National Referendum are now open.
The FEO confirmed that registered voters do not need to register again for the referendum, with existing voter registration covering both the General Election and National Referendum.
Ms Mataiciwa urged voters to get information directly from the FEO.
“We expect people to have questions, and we want them to ask us, speak to our teams when they come to your community, visit your nearest Voter Services Centre or follow our official platforms. We want Fijians to receive the correct information directly from the FEO rather than rely on information that may not be accurate,” said Mataiciwa…PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
FIJI – PREPCOP31/CARBON MARKET: FIJI GOVT/PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
Fiji launches FJD$5.2 million five-year carbon market plan
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI GOVT/PACNEWS) —Fiji has launched a FJD$5.2 million (US$2.6 million) five-year plan to develop its carbon market and position the country to undertake its first international carbon trade by 2030.
The Five-Year Costed Carbon Market Plan 2026–2030 was launched by the Government on the opening day of the Pacific Pre-COP31 in Nadi.
The plan, developed by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in collaboration with the Ministry of Forestry and Conservation International, sets out the systems and frameworks Fiji needs to participate in international carbon markets.
Carbon markets allow verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to be traded, creating opportunities for Fiji to attract climate finance for projects that reduce emissions and protect natural ecosystems.
The Government said the plan could help attract new investment into renewable energy, sustainable forestry, waste management and the protection of forests, mangroves and other ecosystems.
Minister for Rural, Maritime Development and Disaster Risk Management Mosese Bulitavu said Fiji’s carbon market must deliver benefits beyond the trading of carbon.
“For Fiji, carbon markets must be about more than trading carbon. They must deliver real climate action, unlock new and sustainable sources of climate finance, and ensure that the benefits reach our communities and resource owners,” Bulitavu said.
The plan places communities and resource owners at the centre of Fiji’s carbon market development, with a focus on fair benefit-sharing, safeguards and resilient livelihoods.
The Government said the framework would prepare Fiji to access emerging sources of climate finance while ensuring communities and resource owners share in the benefits.
It has also called on development partners to support implementation of the plan.
The plan forms part of Fiji’s broader efforts to mobilise climate finance and strengthen its capacity to respond to climate change while protecting the country’s natural ecosystems….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31/ENERGY TRANSITION: IRENA PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
At Pre-COP31, Pacific Islands focus on investment needs for renewed ambitions
NADI, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (IRENA)—Pacific Islands focus on investment needs for renewed ambitions at Pre-COP31 The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has identified electrification and grid enhancement as key levers of the next phase of global energy transition.
For Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this phase means going beyond reaching their renewable energy target, which they have proven capable of with their capacity surpassing the 10 gigawatts (GW) target they set themselves for 2030.
The next phase of the energy transition demands greater attention to the grids, infrastructure, institutional capacity, and investment pipelines needed to translate growing ambition into implementation at scale.
The shift towards increased electrification supported by expanded, modern infrastructure is increasingly visible in the latest generation of SIDS’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Around 80 percent of SIDS have submitted new NDCs for the latest ambition cycle, with more concrete energy-sector ambitions covering renewable electricity, energy efficiency, and electrification in the transport sector.
In the Pacific, for example, there are countries that have committed 100% of renewables in electricity generation, such as Tuvalu by 2030, as well as Vanuatu and Fiji by 2035. Meanwhile Samoa, Nauru, and Tonga aim for over 70 percent renewable electricity by 2035.
Many NDC measures are conditional on international financial, technical and capacity-building support. Across SIDS, IRENA estimates that meeting renewable energy and climate targets will require more than USD$6.1 billion in investment by 2035, with around USD$44.2 billion dependent on international support and financing.
Despite progress, Pacific Islands still face challenges in translating energy transition ambitions into implementable and bankable projects. Projects can be constrained by small market and project sizes, high transaction costs, limited project-preparation resources, infrastructure and institutional constraints, and access to affordable long-term finance.
In this regard, Pacific leaders have already articulated what needs to change. Through the Manubada Call to Action adopted at the 6th Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers’ Meeting in 2026, the countries called for more predictable financing, better alignment of development-partner support with Pacific-led priorities, and stronger regional coordination.
The Pre-COP31 in Nadi, Fiji, provides the opportunity to address challenges and identify urgent actions. IRENA through the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative (LHI), the Government of Fiji, and the Pacific Community (SPC) are co-organising the ‘Pacific Regional Dialogue on Energy Transition Investments and Finance’ on 07 October 2026.
Held to address barriers to renewable energy deployment, identify opportunities to scale investment, and strengthen collaboration, the high-level dialogue will contribute to the global discussion on mobilising finance, strengthening partnerships, and enabling conditions needed to accelerate renewable energy deployment as well as support the region’s NDCs.
While looking ahead to COP31 in Türkiye (November), Ministers will discuss what is needed to convert Pacific Islands’ energy transition priorities into financed projects by improving access to affordable finance, strengthening project preparation, enabling infrastructure, institutional capacity, and regional approaches, such as opportunities to achieve scale across small markets.
The Dialogue will also be an occasion to share the SIDS LHI’s Annual Progress Report (2025 – 2026), which shows how far SIDS have advanced in their energy transitions since the LHI was launched in 2014. The group’s renewable energy deployment has grown to a total installed capacity of 11.2 GW by the end of 2025—surpassing their 10 GW target by 2030.
Apart from the high-level dialogue, IRENA at Pre-COP31 will also engage government representatives on the topic of offshore renewable energy through its side event, ‘Offshore renewables for resilient Pacific islands’. Co-organised with the Global Offshore Wind Alliance, the event will also share a new IRENA report that looks into blended financing as mechanism to advance the Pacific region’s offshore wind and other ocean renewables deployment. …PACNEWS
PNG – ILLEGAL TRANSACTION: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 06 Oct 2026
PNG PM urges agencies to act on illegal transactions
PORT MORESBY, 06 OCTOBER 2026 (THE NATIONAL)–Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape says the police, the Financial Analysis and Supervision Unit, Taskforce Asset Restraint and Recovery Working Group, commercial banks and the Bank of PNG must act on illegal transactions.
“Just simply do your job,” he said.
“Follow public money.”
Marape said scrutiny must extend beyond politicians to accounting firms, legal firms and public officials responsible for authorising expenditure, including Section 32 officers in departments, provinces and districts.
He called on law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and public officials to enforce laws, follow the movement of public money and recover stolen funds, saying PNG must demonstrate results in its fight against financial crime.
Closing the Anti-Money Laundering, Counter Terrorist Financing and Counter Proliferation Financing conference in Port Moresby last week, Marape said protecting public funds would protect the economy.
“This conference is not simply about meeting international requirements,” he said.
“It is about protecting our economy, our financial system, our public money and ultimately the future of our people.”
The theme of the two-day conference co-hosted by the BPNG and Transparency International PNG was “Follow the money, eliminate the threat”.
Marape said the theme must translate into investigations, enforcement and the recovery of criminal proceeds.
He stressed that agencies should act when evidence established wrongdoing, regardless of the electoral cycle.
He highlighted amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act and the passage of whistleblower legislation among reforms undertaken by his Government.
Marape also told delegates that the Speaker had certified the latest three legislative amendments on September 30: The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing Act, the United Nations Financial Sanctions Act and the Criminal Code.
He said the Government remained willing to consider further legislative changes where necessary, but agencies must make effective use of the powers already available to them…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Can Australia create lasting Climate impacts for the Asia-Pacific?
Australia is set to preside over the negotiations at the upcoming COP31 climate conference in Türkiye, but its support for regional partners will need to be sustained.
By Trang Nguyen
NADI, O6 OCTOBER 2026 ( THE DIPLOMAT)—COP31 comes at a time when the world is facing the reality that it will soon exceed the 1.5°C global warming threshold enshrined in the Paris Agreement. Across the Asia-Pacific, extreme weather impacts are being felt more visibly and intensely, from the streets of Bangkok to towns across China and Nepal and the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
While these impacts are becoming more severe, global climate cooperation is facing tighter fiscal constraints and a more fragmented geopolitical environment. Elsewhere the need for strengthened cooperation is also being overshadowed by the discussion around energy security and the race for power availability for the technologies and infrastructure that will shape the future of industrial competitiveness.
In the coming days, with support from Australia and Pacific partners, up to 3,000 participants are expected to gather in Fiji alongside a leaders’ summit in Tuvalu for a Pre-COP31 preparatory meeting. This meeting will amplify voices from small state islands and explore what global solutions are needed and the speed required to protect countries whose exposure to climate impacts is rising despite their limited contribution to global emissions.
In November, Australia will then preside over the negotiations at COP31 hosted by Türkiye in Antalya. The global climate movement expects both countries to advance key outstanding agenda items, including mobilising climate finance set out in the COP29 New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance and advancing the phase-out of fossil fuels in the negotiation texts.
This will be a tough job. Last month, leaders of BRICS – a grouping of major emerging economies founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – met in New Delhi. The group has since expanded to 11 countries, accounting for 50 percent of the global population. The final endorsed text of the New Delhi Declaration has 34 mentions of climate, highlighting the importance of energy security but stating that “fossil fuels will still play an important role in the world’s energy mix, particularly for emerging markets and developing economies.”
Achieving an absolute consensus from 198 countries for phasing out fossil fuels, especially in the context of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, is not easy. But there are practical areas where Australia’s leadership can create lasting impacts for Asia Pacific: electrification and energy security; the rules and infrastructure for clean trade; and climate finance and resilience for the Pacific.
Across major Asian economies, including China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, electrification is growing at a fast pace. Pairing this with renewable electricity will provide significant opportunities for lower import bills and better environmental outcomes.
The opportunity is particularly immediate in remote and island communities. For fishing communities in archipelagic states like the Philippines and Indonesia, solar-powered cold storage could reduce post-harvest agricultural losses for farmers and fishermen and avoid high electricity costs while improving food security and incomes. Across the Pacific, countries spend up to 13 per cent of their GDP on imported fuels. Replacing diesel generation with solar, batteries and other renewable systems has strong implications for energy security, but will require upfront investment.
With its strong electrification focus, COP31 can make this opportunity more visible and therefore connect investment, technology and development finance with policy support. For businesses, this means creating opportunities to invest in renewable-powered electrification in industrial export-led economies. For communities, it means combining solar and storage with concessional finance and development assistance to replace ageing, expensive equipment and enable long-term resilience for farmers and fishermen.
The Asia-Pacific is a centre of industrial activities. Some clean commodity corridors and supply chains are emerging in the region, such as the Australia to Singapore’s green and digital shipping corridor, or the potential Australia to East Asia iron ore green corridors.
These go beyond high-level political endorsement. Lots of work has been done and will need to be done to develop a shared view of how emissions are measured, which standards are recognised, how products are certified and whether infrastructure exists to move them from producers to customers.
COP31 can strengthen a clean commodities economy through global coordination efforts on measuring, reporting, and verifying carbon reduction standards and action agendas related to green trade and certification. But beyond the negotiation room and climate action agenda, there are various collaborations taking place. An example is reaching consensus on a Net-Zero Framework for marine fuels under the International Maritime Organisation. The framework, if advanced further in December, will be fundamental to drive global progress beyond the shipping sector.
Australia’s clear goal for COP31 is to support the best possible outcomes for the Pacific, including mobilising finance through initiatives such as the Pacific Resilience Facility. This is very important, but Pacific countries should not be presented only as vulnerable countries in need of assistance.
Their economies, food systems, cultures, and identities are closely connected to global natural capital and security. Fisheries, tourism, coastal protection, and other ocean-based activities can form the foundation of future economic development if this natural capital is protected, including vast ocean territories, forests, coral reefs, mangroves and freshwater.
Earlier this year, Australia and Fiji signed the landmark Vuvale Union Treaty, recognising the deep interconnectedness between climate, people, prosperity, and peace across the Pacific. The treaty has made its message clear: rising sea levels are not only an existential threat to Pacific nations; they also have profound implications for Oceania’s security and future prosperity.
At the end of the day, countries and communities are deeply connected by climate. One country’s security and prosperity depends on the livelihood and resilience of others. …. PACNEWS
Trang Nguyen is Head of International Programs and Engagement at Climateworks Centre, an independent not-for-profit within Monash University. Her areas of interest include climate change, development economics and geopolitics. Before joining Climateworks, Trang worked in both public and private sectors, including for Victoria State Government and the U.K’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
