In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Pacific bloc demands UN mission to New Caledonia as decolonisation debate intensifies
2. PACIFIC — French Polynesia urges UN-backed decolonisation dialogue with France
3. PACIFIC — Pacific has talked enough, now it is time for action: PNG PM Marape
4. PACIFIC — COP31 must turn Pacific climate promises into action: Timor Leste President Ramos-Horta
5. PACIFIC — Pacific must take united climate message to COP31: Vanuatu PM Napat
6. PACIFIC — Mauritius urges SIDS unity as climate implementation gap widens
7. PACIFIC— Fiji commits US$10 million to Pacific Resilience Facility
8. PACIFIC — MSG leaders discuss Melanesian priorities at Pre-COP31
9. PACIFIC — ‘There’s no coming back’: Sharma warns on 1.5°C
10. PACIFIC — Pacific climate advocates welcome landmark Australian coal ruling
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Pacific climate finance falling far short of need: ADB President Kanda
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Investor rights constrain the climate action Pacific calls for, experts warn
13. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji steps up push for climate-resilient infrastructure financing
14. PACNEWS BIZ — Cook Islands Seabed Authority maintains exploration of deep-sea minerals continues
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — World leaders at pre-COP urged to close gap between commitments and delivery
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — Saving the islands and world climate urgency: Less COPs, actions now, stop fossil fuels
17. PACNEWS DIGEST — SPREP and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Sign Historic Partnership Strengthening Pacific and Caribbean Climate Resilience
PACIFIC – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific bloc demands UN mission to New Caledonia as decolonisation debate intensifies
By Pita Ligaiula
NEW YORK, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Pacific countries have renewed calls for a United Nations visiting mission to New Caledonia, saying an independent assessment is needed as the territory continues to face political uncertainty and socio-economic hardship following the deadly unrest of May 2024.
The call was made during the Fourth Committee’s consideration of New Caledonia at the UN General Assembly, where Pacific representatives backed the territory’s right to self-determination and urged France and the UN to strengthen efforts towards a lasting political settlement.
Papua New Guinea said the UN mission should take place as soon as possible and called for funding to be made available.
“An independent assessment through the UN Visiting Mission could assist the UN to better support all concerned parties, including the administering power,” PNG said.
PNG reaffirmed its support for New Caledonia’s self-determination in line with the UN Charter and the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.
“The self-determination decision ultimately and solely rests with the people of New Caledonia,” the PNG representative said.
The Melanesian Spearhead Group(MSG), represented by Vanuatu, also expressed concern over the situation in New Caledonia, particularly the continuing social and economic pressures facing Kanak communities.
The MSG said the unrest in May 2024, along with challenges in health, education and employment, required close attention from both the UN and France as the administering power.
“The fragile peace forged in New Caledonia requires tactful, sensitive and cooperative efforts from all stakeholders in New Caledonia and the administering power to uphold and further strengthen,” Vanuatu said on behalf of the MSG.
The group said it supported efforts to rebuild trust and find a peaceful pathway towards self-determination, while stressing the importance of the Nouméa Accord and the aspirations of New Caledonians.
The debate also exposed sharp divisions among petitioners over New Caledonia’s political future.
Roland Arnold told the committee that Kanak people must be given the opportunity to freely determine their future, describing self-determination as an inalienable right.
“Kanaky New Caledonia, the non-self-governing territory, must be given the opportunity to freely decide their own future,” Arnold said.
Another petitioner, speaking on behalf of the pro-independence movement Urgence Kanak, said the French Government’s handling of the third referendum and subsequent changes to the electoral system had contributed to the confrontation that erupted in 2024.
He said the 2024 unrest resulted in 13 deaths and lasting trauma.
“We reject the criminalisation of pro-independence activists and we demand freedom and self-determination, and this must never be equated with a crime,” he said.
The petitioner also called for the dispute over the third referendum to be examined by the International Court of Justice and reaffirmed the FLNKS’ support for securing observer status at the UN.
Other petitioners called on the Fourth Committee to strengthen its monitoring of New Caledonia and apply international law more directly to the decolonisation process.
One petitioner argued that continued UN monitoring had failed to prevent the 2024 crisis.
“Has your monitoring succeeded in averting the conflict that was foreseeable for May 2024? No,” he said.
France rejected calls suggesting its approach was undermining the territory’s political process and told the committee it remained committed to self-determination and dialogue.
The French representative said recent provincial elections had allowed about 10,000 additional Caledonians to participate after an adjustment to the electoral roll.
France also said it had resumed negotiations with political actors in New Caledonia following the rejection of the 2025 Bougival Agreement.
“The rejection of this agreement did not signify the end of the process,” France said.
It said more than €2 billion(US$2.24 billion) had been committed over five years to support New Caledonia’s economic recovery, including assistance to the mining sector and public services.
France said its objective was to reach the end of the political process while respecting the different views and aspirations of the people of New Caledonia.
The debate also saw one petitioner argue that the territory should be removed from the UN list of non-self-governing territories, saying three self-determination consultations had demonstrated support for remaining part of France.
“The destiny of New Caledonia belongs to the Caledonians. Only they can make a choice about their future,” he said.
But the pro-independence petitioners rejected that position, arguing that the self-determination process remained incomplete and that the UN must do more to ensure the rights of the Kanak people.
The Fourth Committee was also warned that the continued uncertainty could have wider implications for peace and security in the Pacific.
PNG said decolonisation remained unfinished business for the UN and urged continued international support for territories still on the list of non-self-governing territories.
“Decolonisation remains unfinished business for the UN,” the PNG representative said.
“No nation is so small that its people should be trodden, downtrodden.”
The Fourth Committee is expected to continue consideration of the situation in New Caledonia as part of its work on decolonisation and non-self-governing territories…..PACNEWS
PAC – DECOLONISATION: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
French Polynesia urges UN-backed decolonisation dialogue with France
By Pita Ligaiula
NEW YORK, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—French Polynesia President Mottai Brotherson has called on France to open a United Nations-backed decolonisation dialogue, saying 13 years after French Polynesia was placed on the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, the process remains at a deadlock.
Addressing the UN Special Political and Decolonisation Committee, Brotherson said France had yet to engage in a structured dialogue under UN auspices despite repeated calls since he took office in 2023.
“Sadly, our decolonisation process has reached a deadlock,” Brotherson said.
“13 years after our inscription on the UN list, France has yet to engage in a structured dialogue under the auspices of the UN.”
He said a significant development came on 24 September when the French Polynesia Assembly adopted a resolution supported by its three main political groups – Tavini, Ahipa and Tapura Huiraatira bringing independence and autonomist forces together around the principle that the people should determine their political future.
Six days later, his government formally renewed its call for France to engage in a decolonisation dialogue with the UN involved in the process.
“These initiatives have not opened yet that dialogue. Only France’s willingness to engage can do so,” Brotherson said.
“But they sent an unprecedented message: we may disagree on the destination, but we can and we must agree on the right of our people to choose that destination freely.”
Brotherson said French Polynesia was not seeking another bilateral discussion within the existing French institutional framework.
“Our future cannot remain solely a French domestic matter,” he said.
“We are asking for a true decolonisation dialogue grounded in international law, involving France, the institutions and political forces of French Polynesia, with the United Nations associated with the process.”
He proposed a three-part programme: comprehensive information and education on different political status options; a UN visiting mission to hear directly from the people of French Polynesia; and an agreed pathway towards a democratic act of self-determination through a referendum.
“No predetermined outcome, no unilateral imposition.
“We are not asking France to decide our future. We are asking France to stop preventing us from discussing how we will decide it,” Brotherson said.
Brotherson acknowledged his own position as an independence leader but said the final decision must belong to the people.
“My conviction is known, but the future of our country cannot be decided by one leader, one political party or one government.
“It belongs to our people,” he said.
He also linked self-determination to the legacy of France’s nuclear testing programme, saying France conducted 193 nuclear tests in French Polynesia and that their consequences remained part of the territory’s environment, families and collective memory.
“Truth, justice and responsibility must be part of the relationship we seek to rebuild,” he said.
Brotherson also raised the issue of French Polynesia’s ocean and deep-seabed resources, arguing that decisions over whether and how those resources are used should rest with the people.
“These resources are not merely commodities waiting to be extracted.
“They are the natural heritage of the Maori people and the ocean is our ancestor,” he said.
Brotherson said he preferred political dialogue to litigation but warned that dialogue could not mean indefinite waiting.
“The recent history of Kanaky New Caledonia reminds us that dialogue must come before violence, not after it,” he said, stressing that he was not making a comparison or a threat.
Turning directly to France, Brotherson said the current UN committee session was the last to be held during President Emmanuel Macron’s two presidential terms.
“When he leaves office, 14 years will have passed, 14 years during which France could have chosen dialogue,” he said.
He challenged France to reconcile its stated commitment to liberty, equality and fraternity with the question of French Polynesia’s political status.
“Can liberty be complete when a people is denied a genuine process to determine its political future?
“And what becomes of fraternity when a hand extended for dialogue remains unanswered?,” he asked.
Brotherson also paid tribute to Oscar Temaru, whom he described as the architect of French Polynesia’s 2013 inscription on the UN decolonisation list.
He also acknowledged the death of Leon Tefo, a member of the Polynesian pro-independence delegation, who died in New York two days before the session.
“For 13 years we have asked, we have sought, we have knocked.
“Now is the time for France to open the door. Let us open the decolonisation dialogue,” Brotherson said.
Responding to Brotherson, France’s representative reaffirmed Paris’ position that French Polynesia already has extensive political autonomy under the French Constitution.
“French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity that has a great degree of political autonomy,” the representative said.
He said the autonomy system allowed the people of French Polynesia to elect their government and representatives and determine public policies in areas including the economy, education, health, tourism, labour and culture.
Only sovereign responsibilities, including defence, remain under the authority of the French state, he said.
France said it supported continued direct dialogue between the French state and French Polynesian institutions and would continue consultations with political stakeholders.
“We are in favour of a constant direct dialogue between state bodies and the French Polynesian territory,” the representative said.
He also highlighted French economic support for French Polynesia, saying transfers from France amounted to about 30 percent of the territory’s GDP, or around €2 billion annually.
France also supports French Polynesia’s participation in regional forums, including the Pacific Islands Forum, and major projects such as the Pacific Games, he said.
“The state continues its engagement and its trust-based dialogue with all French Polynesian stakeholders to guarantee the archipelago’s development,” the representative said….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific has talked enough, now it is time for action: PNG PM Marape
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has backed the Taku Pakasoa Declaration but warned Pacific leaders and the international community that climate commitments must now translate into action.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders Plenary in Denarau, Marape said the region had repeatedly identified the climate crisis and could no longer afford further delays.
“As we move towards Türkiye and COP31, I want to pledge Papua New Guinea’s fullest support to the latest declaration here.
“It is now time for us to implement what we pledge,” Marape said.
Marape called on international organisations, major carbon-emitting companies and countries with large carbon footprints to honour their climate commitments.
“It is time we act and it is time we honour our commitments,” he said.
He said the transition to clean energy must happen urgently if the world was to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal within reach.
“Transition to clean energy, something that must take place right away if we want to maintain our temperature below 1.5 degree,” Marape said.
He said Pacific island countries were among the first to experience the consequences of climate change.
Marape pointed to Papua New Guinea’s experience, saying two Polynesian communities had experienced climate-related displacement about a decade ago.
Marape recalled attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Funafuti seven years ago and said stronger action since then could have made a difference to Tuvalu’s future.
“Had we acted in between 2019 and today, Funafuti, if not Tuvalu’s entire future, would have been secured,” he said.
Marape thanked Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific countries for supporting vulnerable small island states.
He also acknowledged the Green Climate Fund, its contributors, the United Nations and other partners supporting countries facing the impacts of climate change.
But he said financial and political commitments must now lead to tangible results.
“Today is not a time for us to talk and hopefully something substantial happens.
“Instead of talking, we know what is at stake. We must act now,” Marape said.
He said action must include an accelerated transition to clean energy, protection of oceans and preservation of forests, which he described as critical carbon sinks.
“Action means transition to clean energy at the very earliest. Action means protecting our oceans and protecting our forests who are carbon sinks,” he said.
Marape also expressed solidarity with communities affected by climate-related disasters, including Nepal, saying the impacts of climate change were being felt across the world.
He urged leaders to remember the concerns raised by young people as they make decisions on climate action.
“Tonight and today and onwards, let us hold the hands of the children who have spoken in our face as we make deliberations like this,” he said.
“We’ve talked enough. It is now time for actions and implementation,” he said….PACNEWS
PAC – PREPCOP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
COP31 must turn Pacific climate promises into action: Timor Leste President Ramos-Horta
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 0CTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)—Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta has called for COP31 to deliver on long-standing climate commitments, warning that vulnerable Pacific and small island states cannot continue to face rising climate risks without adequate finance and action.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders Plenary in Denarau, Ramos-Horta said his visit to Tuvalu had brought the reality of climate change into sharp focus.
“To see firsthand the extraordinary vulnerability of these islands is deeply moving.
“Tuvalu is among the clearest warnings to humanity of what lies ahead if we fail to act,” he said.
Ramos-Horta said climate change was fundamentally an issue of justice, with countries that had contributed least to the crisis facing some of its most severe impacts.
“Those who have contributed the least cannot continue to bear the greatest burden,” he said.
He said the message from the Pacific to COP31 in Türkiye must be practical and focused on delivery.
Ramos-Horta said keeping the 1.5-degree Celsius target within reach must remain the priority, while climate finance commitments must translate into funding reaching vulnerable countries and communities.
“For SIDS and LDCs, the international climate finance system remains too slow, too complicated, too difficult to access,” he said.
He called for COP31 to advance a clear pathway for delivery of the new collective quantified climate finance goal, increase adaptation finance and provide additional support for Least Developed Countries.
“Finance must reach vulnerable countries and communities before climate shocks become climate catastrophes,” Ramos-Horta said.
He also called for loss and damage to be treated as an urgent priority, saying some climate impacts were already beyond the capacity of communities to adapt to.
“Adaptation is essential, but there are already impacts to which communities simply cannot adapt,” he said.
Ramos-Horta said loss and damage funds must have adequate and predictable resources and be capable of responding quickly when climate-related disasters strike.
He also backed Pacific efforts to protect the continuity of statehood, sovereignty and maritime rights as sea levels rise.
“A nation cannot disappear in international law just because the sea rises,” he said.
He said established maritime zones and rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea must be protected despite climate-related sea-level rise.
“We stand firmly with our Pacific brothers and sisters on this principle,” Ramos-Horta said.
He also called for oceans to be placed at the centre of global climate action, linking ocean warming, biodiversity loss and sea-level rise to food security, livelihoods, cultural identity and economic opportunities.
“Oceans must be at the centre of our climate response,” he said.
Ramos-Horta said the Pacific’s message to COP31 should be straightforward.
“Protect 1.5, deliver the finance that has been promised — remember it has been promised many times already — respond seriously to loss and damage.
“Protect the sovereignty and rights of nations threatened by rising seas and turn our declaration into implementation,” he said.
He said Timor-Leste stood with Pacific and other small island states in taking the message to COP31.
“Timor-Leste stands in solidarity with all our fellow small island states, with our Pacific family. We carry this message together to COP31,” he said…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific must take united climate message to COP31: Vanuatu PM Napat
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has called for a united and ambitious Pacific position on climate change ahead of COP31, saying the region’s declaration must reflect the realities facing all vulnerable Pacific countries.
Speaking at the Pacific Pre-COP31 Leaders Plenary in Denarau, Napat said climate change was already a daily reality for Pacific communities and was causing increasing damage to economies, communities and livelihoods.
“Climate change is a live reality across all Pacific island countries and for our people,” Napat said.
He said the Taku Pakasoa Declaration must be inclusive of all Pacific vulnerable countries and ensure the region’s concerns were clearly reflected in the lead-up to COP31 in Türkiye.
“Our fight against climate change requires collective action,” he said.
Napat said rising global temperatures approaching the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold were already producing wide-ranging impacts across the Pacific, beyond the effects of El Niño.
“Over the past decade, the Pacific has experienced an increasing frequency and intensity of climate impacts devastating our economies, our communities, and our people,” he said.
He said the Pacific’s campaign for stronger climate action had been reinforced by the International Court of Justice(ICJ) advisory opinion following the Vanuatu-led initiative.
Napat thanked Pacific leaders, climate advocates, partners and others who supported the initiative through to the ICJ.
“The Court’s opinion has reinforced that a 1.5 degrees Celsius target is an agreed mandate and not just a moral obligation,” he said.
He said the opinion strengthened the Pacific’s position ahead of COP31 and efforts to hold developed countries accountable for their climate obligations.
Napat also referred to the BELAU Declaration, which Pacific leaders endorsed and which outlines immediate actions to keep the 1.5-degree goal within reach.
“Vanuatu strongly believes that the BELAU Declaration represents the highest level of Pacific ambition and sets out our strategy priorities at this critical juncture,” he said.
He said the region’s climate response must include action by governments, industries and individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect ecosystems and limit global warming.
Napat said Vanuatu would support the Taku Pakasoa Declaration as Pacific leaders prepare for COP31.
“We stand in solidarity with our Pacific family who speak with one voice and Vanuatu will support the Taku Pakasoa Declaration as we move towards COP31,” he said…..PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Mauritius urges SIDS unity as climate implementation gap widens
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Mauritius has called on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to strengthen their collective voice and push harder for climate action as emissions continue to rise and the implementation gap widens.
Mauritius President Dharam Gokhool told Pacific PreCOP31 leaders in Denarau that island states could not afford to wait for major emitters to act while their communities face rising seas, extreme weather and growing threats to food security and livelihoods.
“We are still negotiating. Time flies and carbon emissions are increasing more than ever. The implementation gap remains significant,” Gokhool said.
Speaking after spending a day and a half in Tuvalu, Gokhool said Mauritius faced many of the same vulnerabilities as Pacific island countries.
“I see here in the Pacific the same vulnerabilities that plague us back home,” he said.
“Our already limited land surface is being eroded by climate-induced sea level rise. This poses an ever-increasing challenge to our livelihoods, food security and housing.”
Gokhool said the passage of time since the first UN climate conference and the adoption of the Paris Agreement should be measured against the action delivered, not continued negotiations.
He noted that a child born in 1995, when the first COP was held, was now 31, while a child born when the Paris Agreement was adopted would turn 15 this December.
“She has moved from childhood to the threshold of adulthood. She has grown. We are marking time,” he said.
Gokhool said SIDS should use their ocean resources and natural assets as part of the climate response rather than allowing their limited land area to remain a liability.
“We are the custodians of vast seas, ocean states. The size of our land can no longer be our liability.
“We have natural assets, from carbon sinks to our wetlands and mangroves,” he said.
He said the implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement provided an opportunity for island states to leverage their oceans and strengthen sustainable ocean governance.
Gokhool said the message from SIDS heading to COP31 in Türkiye was clear.
“We believe in multilateralism and the rules-based internationalism,” he said.
He said the Pacific Islands Forum, Alliance of Small Island States and Commonwealth had worked over the past five years to advance a common position to keep the 1.5°C temperature goal within reach.
Gokhool also backed the 2025 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on states’ obligations in relation to climate change, following Vanuatu’s initiative.
“Mauritius knows first-hand what it means for a small country to go in front of the world court.
“For international law to prevail, we have taken that road. We respect what the courts decide, and we ask every state to do the same,” he said.
Gokhool said climate action for SIDS was directly linked to economic security, social stability and survival.
“For us, SIDS adaptation is a matter of economic security, social stability, and environmental survival,” he said.
He said Mauritius would take five priorities to COP31: mitigation, adaptation and climate resilience, climate finance, and a just transition.
He also called for loss and damage to be treated as a distinct pillar of the international climate regime rather than being treated simply as another adaptation finance instrument.
“Loss and damage should be a distinct pillar of the climate regime, and not merely another adaptation finance instrument that should be capitalised,” he said.
Gokhool urged major emitters that had yet to submit strengthened NDC 3.0 commitments to do so and called on all parties to accelerate implementation.
He also called for concessional finance tailored to SIDS, particularly financing designed around smaller projects rather than systems developed for large continental economies.
“We do not have the luxury of waiting for others to take action. The opportunity cost is too high,” he said.
Gokhool said the ocean must be placed at the centre of climate action, including through blue NDCs, sustainable ocean governance, resilient blue economies, stronger sea-level science and legal safeguards for island states.
“I, as an islander from the Indian Ocean, echo today from Nadi to Antalya that we keep 1.5 degrees within reach,” he said.
Pacific leaders are concluding their PreCOP31 discussions in Fiji after their programme in Tuvalu and are expected to sign the Taku Pakasoa Declaration ahead of COP31 in Türkiye….PACNEWS
FIJI – PRE COP31/PRF: FIJI GOVT PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Fiji commits US$10 million to Pacific Resilience Facility
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI GOVT)—Fiji will contribute USD $10 million to the capitalisation of the Pacific Resilience Facility.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made this announcement while addressing Forum Leaders, Ministers, partners and development stakeholders at the “Turning Climate Finance Into Community Resilience through the PRF” side-event on the margins of the PreCOP31 conference in Nadi this morning.
Prime Minister Rabuka said Fiji’s contribution demonstrated its confidence in a Facility designed and led by Pacific countries to ensure climate finance reaches vulnerable communities in a timely and accessible manner.
“For a nation of our size, this is no small commitment,” Rabuka said.
He said the PRF reflected the Fijian spirit of solesolevaki, where communities work together and contribute what they can to achieve a common goal.
“That is the spirit behind the Pacific Resilience Facility,” he said.
The PRF is a Pacific-owned, Pacific-led and Pacific-managed international financial institution designed to provide grant financing for climate resilience without adding to the debt burdens of vulnerable countries.
Rabuka said Pacific communities already understood the climate risks they faced but often lacked access to finance at the scale and speed required to implement local solutions.
“What they too often lack is not knowledge or will, but finance that arrives in time, at the scale required, and on terms that do not add to the burdens they already carry,” he said.
Hosted by the Kingdom of Tonga, the PRF is now operational, with its first grants already reaching communities across the region.
For this, PM Rabuka said Fiji’s contribution was also a call for other partners to support the PRF as Forum Leaders work towards its USD$500 million capitalization target.
“I therefore ask our partners to join us. Invest in the PRF, so that we arrive at COP31 in Antalya showing the world that the means to enhance resilience can be built from the ground up,” he concluded.
Fiji ratified the PRF Treaty in May, helping bring the Facility into force……PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31/MSG: PACNEWS/SOL GOVT PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
MSG leaders discuss Melanesian priorities at Pre-COP31
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/SOL GOVT)— Melanesian leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation and stronger coordination on regional priorities at a meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) on the margins of Pre-COP31 in Fiji.
The meeting, chaired by Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Nadi, brought together the Prime Ministers of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, along with a representative of the FLNKS.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale joined the discussions, which focused on matters of mutual interest and the future direction of the MSG.
Leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues affecting Melanesian countries and discussed ways to strengthen solidarity, cooperation and coordination among MSG members.
They also considered ways to reinforce the MSG as a platform for advancing Melanesian interests and priorities at the regional and international levels.
The situation in West Papua was also discussed as part of the leaders’ broader consideration of issues affecting the Melanesian region.
The meeting comes as MSG members engage in wider regional discussions ahead of COP31, with leaders continuing to coordinate positions on issues of importance to Melanesian countries.
The meeting reaffirmed the MSG’s role in bringing Melanesian countries together to address shared challenges and advance common interests….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
‘There’s no coming back’: Sharma warns on 1.5°C
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (FIJI SUN)—Fijian scientist Dr Sindra Sharma warned at PreCOP31 in Nadi that the world will cross the l.5°C warming limit because the remaining carbon budget will not last until 2030.
Dr Sharma who is the international policy lead for the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) said human-caused warming has already reached l.37°C.
“We have already been impacted at this level of warming,” Dr Sharma said.
In simple terms, l.5°C is the limit on how much hotter Earth should get compared with the period before industries began burning coal and oil, as set by the Paris Agreement.
Beyond it, storms, floods and rising seas are expected to worsen.
Dr Sharma said climate models give only a 50 percent chance of staying within l.5°C.
She added that “overshoot” – going above the limit and later coming back down – is not guaranteed.
“There’s no coming back,” she said.
A new United Nations Environment Programme report, Limiting Overshoot, says there are “no good outcomes above l.5°C”.
It warns that some small island states could be partly or fully submerged.
Even Fiji’s higher islands are exposed because so much of the country sits near the shore. University of Fiji’s Dr Shobha Maharaj contributed to the report.
Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Mosese Bulitavu said Fiji’s position “has always been 1.5”.
He said the brunt “will be faced by us in the Pacific” and some islands could be “underwater in the next few years”.
Environment and Climate Change Permanent Secretary Dr Sivendra Michael earlier said exceeding l. C within five years was “significant, if not likely”.
Dr Sharma said a “targeted attack” on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) science was under way before COP31 in Antalya, Ttirkiye, in November.
Dr Michael said last week some countries wanted other bodies to guide decisions instead.
Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change director Vishal Prasad said l.5°C was the International Court of Justice’s “legal red line”. …PACNEWS
PACIFIC – CLIMATE CHANGE/COURTS: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific climate advocates welcome landmark Australian coal ruling
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific climate advocates have welcomed a landmark Australian High Court ruling requiring authorities to consider the local climate impacts of emissions from coal exported overseas when assessing fossil fuel projects.
The High Court today dismissed a challenge by MACH Energy and upheld a NSW Court of Appeal ruling that found the Independent Planning Commission had failed to meet its legal obligations when it approved the expansion of the Mount Pleasant coal mine in the Hunter Valley.
The ruling found the Commission was required to consider the greenhouse gas emissions generated when coal from the mine is exported and burned overseas, including their potential impacts through increased bushfires, drought, flooding and extreme heat.
The decision comes a day after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed Pacific leaders at the PreCOP31 meeting in Fiji, where countries are setting priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
350.org Pacific and Caribbean Program Manager Fenton Lutunatabua said the ruling should lead to wider changes in how governments assess the climate impacts of fossil fuel projects.
“We welcome this ruling and truly hope it signals a cascade of changes in how we evaluate the harm posed by fossil fuels, whether domestic or exported,” Lutunatabua said.
“The climate crisis has never solely been a Pacific issue, it affects everyday Australians just as much. In the Pacific, we have known this for decades and are heartened that both international and domestic legal processes are catching up.”
Lutunatabua said Australia would need to maintain the momentum created by the ruling as it prepares to take a leading role in the COP31 negotiations.
“As Australia heads into COP31 as Head of Negotiations, they cannot afford to lose the momentum from this decision in their journey to true climate leadership,” he said.
350.org Pacific Campaigner Jacynta Fa’amau said the ruling reinforced the link between Australia’s fossil fuel exports and climate impacts experienced at home.
“Today’s judgment proves something that we have always known – whether Australia burns coal at home or overseas, the climate crisis will still knock at their door,” Fa’amau said.
She highlighted Albanese’s warning to Pacific leaders that Australia could face more floods, cyclones and extreme heat because of insufficient action on global emissions.
“Coal mined in one country and burnt in another is the clearest example of global emissions, and this ruling creates another opportunity for accountability,” she said.
The case was brought by the Denman Aberdeen Muswellbrook Scone Healthy Environment Group (DAMS HEG), a Hunter Valley community organisation that challenged the expansion of MACH Energy’s Mount Pleasant mine.
The High Court’s 3-2 decision upheld the NSW Court of Appeal’s finding that the planning commission had failed to consider conditions that could minimise the project’s Scope 3 emissions to the greatest extent possible.
The proposed expansion would have doubled the mine’s coal production to about 21 million tonnes a year until 2048, with about 98 percent of its projected emissions classified as Scope 3 emissions from the burning of exported coal.
DAMS HEG president Wendy Wales said the ruling recognised that Australia could not separate the consequences of coal exports from the climate impacts experienced by communities.
“Today the High Court has said what we have always known: we cannot dig up coal, ship it overseas, watch it drive climate change, and then pretend the consequences have nothing to do with us and won’t be felt by us,” Wales said.
She said droughts, bushfires and floods were linked to greenhouse gas emissions and that large fossil fuel projects added to those risks.
Wales said the decision should force greater consideration of the long-term climate costs of Australia’s coal exports.
“Now the true and complete long-term costs of export coal on Australians, via the climate impact from burning that coal, must be considered,” she said.
The case is the first climate-related matter to reach Australia’s highest court.
DAMS HEG, Wales and her partner Tony Longeran have pursued the case for more than four years, beginning in the NSW Land and Environment Court before taking the matter to the NSW Court of Appeal and ultimately the High Court.
The High Court ruling does not prevent all coal mining or fossil fuel development but establishes that climate impacts associated with exported coal must be considered under the relevant NSW planning framework.
MACH Energy’s proposed Mount Pleasant expansion was previously approved by the NSW Independent Planning Commission before the approval was overturned by the NSW Court of Appeal….PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – PRECOP31/CLIMATE FINANCE: PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Pacific climate finance falling far short of need: ADB President Kanda
By Pita Ligaiula
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS)— Pacific Island countries are facing a climate finance crisis, with current adaptation finance covering only 26 percent of their projected annual needs, Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda told Pacific leaders Tuesday.
Kanda said Pacific island states were not responsible for the climate crisis but were bearing some of its most serious impacts, while having to navigate complex financing requirements to access the resources needed to respond.
“Pacific island states are not responsible for their plight, yet their very survival is at stake.
“That is the injustice of impact and this is the injustice of finance,” Kanda said at the Pacific PreCOP31 plenary in Denarau.
Kanda spoke after spending a day and a half in Tuvalu, where he said he witnessed first-hand the pressures facing communities as sea levels rise.
“I will never forget the warmth of its people nor the weight of their struggle.
“I saw a nation refusing to surrender its future. I stood with communities on land raised to protect them for generations and I saw the human reality of rising seas, families confronting hard decisions about their future and working together to defend their homes, their culture and their way of life,” he said.
Kanda said the scale and speed of the climate threat was outpacing the ability of finance to reach Pacific communities.
“Recent adaptation finance flows would meet only 26 percent of projected annual needs in the Pacific,” he said.
He said governments were also being forced to navigate “a maze of requirements” to secure the limited financing available.
“The seas are rising faster than finance can get at the door,” Kanda said.
The ADB president said the bank was committed to working with its 14 Pacific members and other vulnerable countries to implement their climate priorities.
He said resilience and sustainability were now central to the bank’s development mandate, noting that ADB delivered a record US$13.5 billion in climate finance last year.
Kanda said more than half of ADB’s total commitments remained on track to meet its 2030 climate finance goals.
“Across every project we finance, we are building stronger resilience, robust environment and social standards and higher quality procurement,” he said.
He said ADB was also working to mobilise additional resources to convert national adaptation plans into funded and implemented projects.
For more than two years, ADB has been working with its 14 Pacific members on a regional climate resilience programme.
Kanda said the programme would be submitted to the Green Climate Fund(GCF) at the end of October for US$250 million in financing, with the aim of leveraging ADB projects to deliver up to US$1 billion for adaptation.
He said ADB was also changing its financing and operations to better reflect the realities faced by Pacific island countries.
“We are taking this important action because your children and their children should be able to grow older in the countries their ancestors have called home for millennia,” Kanda said.
Kanda also referred to his participation in the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Palau last month, where he told leaders that ADB should be judged by results.
“I said we must be judged on results. You have my words,” he said.
“We will meet that standard. We will listen to Pacific voices, learn from your leadership and invest in your projects. We will deliver for you and with you.”
Pacific leaders are concluding their PreCOP31 discussions in Fiji after spending a day and a half in Tuvalu.
They are expected to sign the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, setting out Pacific priorities ahead of the UN climate change conference, COP31, in Türkiye….PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31: PANG PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Investor rights constrain the climate action Pacific calls for, experts warn
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PANG)– For Pacific countries on the frontlines of climate change, the action needed to protect their oceans and communities is increasingly colliding with the legal rights of foreign investors, as deep-sea mining and other extractive industries seek protections that may constrain future government responses.
The warning was raised at a Pacific Pre-COP31 stakeholder event, “Investor Rights as a Barrier to Climate Action,” convened by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), the Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network (AFTINET) and the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN).
The discussion brought together international experts to examine how investment treaties, private contracts and arbitration mechanisms, known as Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), can expose governments to costly legal claims when they introduce measures to protect communities,the environment and the climate.
For the Pacific, PANG Deputy Coordinator Adam Wolfenden said the emerging deep-sea mining industry presented a particular concern, given its potential environmental impacts and the regulatory uncertainty surrounding the industry.
“Deep-sea mining is not a climate solution. It will disrupt the climate-regulating systems of the ocean, including carbon sinks.”
“For an industry that is untested and under-regulated, we do not know what the regulatory changes will be, but there will be changes. That sets Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) up as the perfect vehicle, or the perfect home, for deep-sea mining.”
He said ISDS protections were appearing through multiple channels, including investment treaties, private contracts, International Seabed Authority (ISA) sponsorship agreements and domestic deep-sea mining legislation.
International Policy Lead at PICAN, Dr Sindra Sharma, said the issue extended beyond deep-sea mining, with ISDS increasingly creating tension between governments’ climate obligations and investor protections.
“We see two systems that are pulling in opposite directions. We have international climate litigation, and all the Pacific states have taken climate obligations to the highest courts in the world,” she stated.
“On the other side, we have investment arbitration…where investors use bilateral treaties, free trade agreements and different charters, including the Energy Charter Treaty, to challenge the very measures that governments are taking.”
Dr Sharma said the conflict was particularly significant as governments face growing pressure to phase out fossil fuels and meet the 1.5°C climate target.
“Existing coal, oil and gas infrastructure has to immediately cease, and those regulatory acts, coal phase-out deadlines, extraction moratoriums, permit revocations, and others, are now subject to investor claims. That is where the danger comes in.”
Dr Jane Kelsey said the potential scale of investor claims could place significant financial pressure on governments seeking to strengthen climate policies.
“Agreements and contracts can sometimes be used in offshore, private arbitration. These proceedings are not conducted like a normal court judgment. They are often conducted in secret,and sometimes the existence of a dispute is not even known,” Dr Kelsey stated.
“That, not surprisingly, has what we call a chilling effect on government climate action.”
The potential for large claims also has implications for governments’ ability to finance climate action, with damages for anticipated future profits potentially diverting public resources.
Dr Patricia Ranald, AFTINET Convener, highlighted Australia as an example of how community campaigns can influence government policy on ISDS.
She said community opposition helped prevent ISDS provisions from being included in the U.S-Australia Free Trade Agreement and contributed to Australia adopting a policy of excluding ISDS from new trade and investment agreements.
However, she warned that the mechanism continues to be used by fossil fuel companies and investors seeking compensation from governments.
“It is a real threat to democracy because they are bypassing community resistance and court decisions.”
The panel called for greater action to remove exposure to ISDS, including from investment agreements, private contracts, and DSM, as well as to engage in international processes, like COP and the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, for coordinated global action in response to this threat…PACNEWS
PAC – PRE COP31/RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE: PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Fiji steps up push for climate-resilient infrastructure financing
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (PACNEWS/FIJI GOVT) —Fiji is stepping up efforts to secure financing for climate-resilient infrastructure, with Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel holding talks with major development partners during Pacific Pre-COP31.
Immanuel joined a World Bank panel, Building Resilience Without Sacrificing Growth: Pathways for the Pacific, which examined how Pacific economies can strengthen climate resilience while maintaining economic growth.
The discussions focused on investment in infrastructure, tourism, fisheries, human capital, clean energy and ecosystem protection, as well as improving access to climate finance.
Immanuel also attended a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda, which focused on the bank’s continued support for Fiji and the wider Pacific, particularly in infrastructure development.
Following the meeting, Immanuel and ADB Director General for the Pacific Department Emma Veve signed an agreement.
The engagements are part of Fiji’s efforts to mobilise greater financing for infrastructure and development priorities while strengthening the country’s capacity to withstand climate-related impacts.
The Government said the discussions reinforced the importance of partnerships with multilateral development banks in supporting climate resilience, economic growth and community infrastructure across Fiji….PACNEWS
COOKS – DEEP SEA MINING: COOK ISLANDS NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 07 Oct 2026
Cook Islands Seabed Authority maintains exploration of deep-sea minerals continues
RAROTONGA, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (COOK ISLANDS NEWS)—Commercial deep sea mining (DSM) in the Cook Islands and other pro-mining Pacific countries could begin as early as 2027, an Australian-based think tank predicts.
However, the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) maintains that exploration will continue until 2032.
According to the SBMA, the three exploration licences issued to Moana Minerals Limited, a subsidiary of Ocean Minerals LLC, Cook Islands Cobalt Limited (CIC) and American Ocean Minerals Corporation (AOMC) will be up for renewal in 2027 and only exploration licences will be issued.
“The Cook Islands remain in an exploration and research phase. No commercial minerals harvesting has been approved or authorised under current exploration licenses,” the SBMA has stated.
“Any future proposal to move beyond exploration would remain subject to Cook Islands legal and regulatory requirements, including environmental assessment, public consultation where required by law, and the relevant decision-making processes”.
In an analysis released in late August, Lowy Institute researchers concluded that this was driven by the United States-China competition over critical minerals. The analysis stated that the Cook Islands possess the world’s largest and richest sovereign resource of polymetallic nodules, which have become a focal point of the U.S-China geopolitical competition.
Last month, U.S Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told G20 energy ministers in Houston that deep sea mining permits for U.S territorial waters could arrive in the near future. He said his department would first auction rights in American waters and then review operating permits for those sites.
The U.S Commerce Department, separately, wants to license work in waters beyond any country’s borders. Reuters named The Metals Company Inc (TMC) and privately held Impossible Metals as firms that have already sought mining permits.
Among companies identified is American Deep Sea Minerals. The company is looking to mine the seabed near Penrhyn.
However, this is not possible as the SBMA has regulatory authority regarding exploration and commercial extraction. SBMA also confirmed that no further exploration licenses had been issued apart from the current three.
“An exploration license does not give ownership of Cook Islands seabed mineral resources. An exploration license does not provide any automatic right to commercial minerals harvesting, and no company owns or controls any part of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone or Marae Moana through an exploration licence,” the SBMA has stated.
U.S Interior Secretary Burgum suggested otherwise at the G20 meeting.
“Those nodules that we just have to go out and vacuum up off the sea floor are filled with these critical minerals that we need [mainly nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese],” Burgum said.
“You’ll be hearing more in the weeks and months ahead because there are some exciting developments.”
The U.S does not want to lose the critical minerals race in the Pacific to China. As it is, China’s position in critical mineral supply chains is one of dominance at both the extraction and processing stages. Analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA) in 2025 found that China controls the largest share of refining capacity for 19 of the 20 minerals it tracks, with an average market share of around 70 percent.
China’s control of the industry extends beyond its borders. The Democratic Republic of Congo produces 74 percent of the world’s mined cobalt, but 80 percent of global cobalt is processed through Chinese facilities. Indonesia supplies around two-thirds of the world’s mined nickel, yet most of that production capacity is Chinese-financed. From mine to refined product, Beijing has built a position of structural advantage that leaves rivals dependent on Chinese supply chains for materials their economies and defence systems cannot function without.
Now the U.S is stationing a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist in Rarotonga to work directly with the SBMA starting in November 2026. This announcement followed the U.S investment of US$101 million into the port at Penrhyn.
Furthermore, the U.S has already proceeded to map the seabed in American Samoa in search of critical minerals.
The Lowy Institute warned that there are no guidelines set up to govern deep sea mining in the Pacific. It further warned that commercial mining could begin even before a consensus is reached within the region, especially among Pacific Forum members.
This conclusion was given despite the Seabed Minerals Act 2019, which establishes a clear legal framework for the exploration and potential development of seabed mineral resources, ensuring that all activities are carried out responsibly, sustainably, and with transparency.
Under the Act, the SBMA is mandated to regulate and oversee all seabed minerals activities. SBMA’s role includes issuing licences, monitoring compliance, managing data and reporting, engaging with stakeholders, and ensuring environmental safeguards are upheld.
“The governance architecture that should precede them does not exist. The great power contest that is driving the industry forward will not slow to accommodate the concerns of small island states. These are the conditions under which Pacific nations are being asked to make decisions with permanent consequences,” the report concluded.
“The fracture running through the Pacific on DSM is not a failure of Pacific solidarity; it is a predictable consequence of asking nations to treat a contested resource question as though it were a shared environmental one.
“For pro-mining nations, the financial promise is seductive. For the anti-mining bloc, the environmental and cultural case for resistance is no less compelling. The problem is not that Pacific nations disagree; it is that they are being forced to negotiate individually against parties with vastly more resources, information, and legal capacity – and that the international framework designed to protect them has stalled.”
The Lowy Institute has called on the Australian government to invest in Pacific regulatory capacity and champion a regional governance framework via the Forum that does not require Australia to take sides on whether DSM should proceed.
“It requires Australia to insist that any operations that proceed abide by rules that protect the nations most exposed to the consequences. In doing so, Australia would help safeguard the conditions in which Pacific solidarity, and the regional stability it underpins, can endure,” concluded the research…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
World leaders at pre-COP urged to close gap between commitments and delivery
NADI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)— World leaders gathering in Fiji for the Pacific pre-COP have been urged to close the gap between climate commitments and delivery, to ensure 1.5 to stay alive, for the protection and survival of Pacific communities.
The call from Fiji Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, came when he opened the Leaders’ Plenary at the Pacific Pre-COP31 in Nadi on Tuesday night.
The Leaders plenary followed a day trip to Tuvalu.
In Funafuti, world leaders got to experience first-hand the “lived reality” of climate change and witnessed how citizens are making efforts to safeguard their future.
Sea level rise is primarily driven by global warming which causes water to expand as it heats up and accelerates the melting of land-based ice sheets and glaciers. Tuvalu battles rising sea levels, with studies confirming that it has risen 21 centimetres in 30 years, nearly twice the global average. At the current rate, some projections suggest 95 percent of the country could be under water by 2100.
The grim reality for Tuvalu, and most Pacific countries, was not lost on Prime Minister Rabuka when he addressed world leaders: “We must ask in five years’ time: “Has Tuvalu received the support needed to expand the coastal protection efforts that they have begun?” In 10 years to 20 years’ time; “Are the shores we walked on and the land on which we spoke, still dry? And the air still filled with song?”
Prime Minister Rabuka said as leaders look to COP31 in Türkiye, the pre-COP in Fiji is an opportunity to show alignment on shared priorities and carry forward common objectives confirmed in Funafuti.
“Our deliberations have shown that we do not lack knowledge or understanding of the risks. The science is understood,” he said. “Our declaration must make our commitment to close the gap between what we know, and what we do, crystal clear. Closing that gap is what leaders are for. It is what we are here for. And it is what the world expects all parties to deliver in Antalya.”
From 05-08 October, Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu are partnering with the UNFCCC to deliver the official pre-COP31 Ministerial meeting and Leaders’ event.
Tuvalu hosted leaders and representatives from across the globe for a special high-level segment of the pre-COP31 on Tuesday.
In Fiji, Leaders are convening for a pre-COP31 plenary on Wednesday.
Australia Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said he was pleased to have been able to join leaders in Tuvalu, a proud seafaring nation, one with deep culture and tradition, built from the islands and the Ocean.
“Islands that are now under threat,” he said. “In Tuvalu, as in the rest of the Pacific, climate change is not a problem for the future. It is here right now. And we know that sea levels here in the western Pacific are rising at more than twice the global average.”
Prime Minister Albanese reminded global leaders they cannot afford to let 1.5 degrees slip from their grasp.
“Making the case for the Pacific and proposing local action rests on us,” he said. “Today in Tuvalu, we were joined by an outstanding group of leaders, each with valuable experience to share, but also by one of the elders, and also a young student, who reminded us of what we have the potential to lose in the wisdom and experience and learning of our elders.
“But also the responsibility we have to generations to come. Listening to the voices and communities that are living with climate change every day is the responsibility of us as leaders. And to me, what this gathering is about is bringing those Pacific voices to the world. It is a cause that unites all of us in this room.”
The pre-COP Fiji and Tuvalu aims to profile critical climate priorities for Small Island Developing States and the leadership of the Pacific with broad resonance to the global community, on the road to COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye….PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Saving the islands and world climate urgency: Less COPs, actions now, stop fossil fuels
Climate integrity is a topic that seems to have been buried by other inhumane priorities, yet is so fundamental to our human existence. Indeed, climate integrity seems to be in very short supply. It is our moral and humane duty to save the islands and the world against climate change, as a matter of urgency.
Opinion by Enele Sopoaga
FUNAFUTI, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (THE POINT)—Climate integrity is a topic that seems to have been buried by other inhumane priorities, yet is so fundamental to our human existence. Indeed, climate integrity seems to be in very short supply.
It is our moral and humane duty to save the islands and the world against climate change, as a matter of URGENCY.
In my seven years as Tuvalu High Commissioner to Fiji, seven years as Ambassador to the UN, five years as AOSIS Chairman and Negotiator, and seven years as Prime Minister of Tuvalu, I have always concluded my statements with the punch line: “Save Tuvalu to save the World” against climate change. This is not a self-serving proposition. Yes, we may be the first to suffer, but if we go, you go – everyone faces serious consequences.
My choice of the title: “Saving the Islands and world climate urgency: Less COPs, actions now, stop fossil fuels”, is deliberate.
After years of work, we know what climate change is, its causes, effects and options to save us. But despite our calls, containing our survivability targets to 1.5’C temperature increase and other Paris targets, these have obviously been overtaken by so many geopolitical pressures, including fighting never-ending wars, releasing more greenhouse gases (GHGs), irrational trade and economic policies, diplomatic attacks on international law and relations and irresponsible leadership.
In the face of it all, the situation of destruction in the Pacific Islands due to climate change and sea level rise is dire. Pacific island leaders, communities, and negotiators have repeatedly called for urgent action to stop climate change. It appears our call has fallen on deaf ears. There is much confusion. The onslaught continues on livelihoods. While big emitters like Australia continue to dig and export coal and gas, and expand fossil fuel mines.
Instead, the islands are inundated by millions of dubious official development assistance (ODA) projects, visas, mobility schemes, unbid outside contracts, external interference, and dubious insurance schemes, mostly beyond local capacity to absorb, let alone sustain. And, often, unrelated to local needs whilst greenwashing climate change.
Instead, we are also inundated by social media Tiktoking and AI-ing fake stories about our demise and sinking into the sea, without the honesty of telling their home public and governments to reduce GHG emissions. There is no urgency even to contribute to the Tuvalu Survival Fund nor the Pacific Resilience Fund.
Just in the last week of August, we heard of how the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF), under the directorship of Australia, has had linkages to investments in fossil fuel companies, like the Indian Reliance Industries, which owns the world’s largest crude oil refinery, and the Southern Company, the second largest GHG emitter in the U.S.
“It is utterly incongruous that the TTF, with Australia as a board member, would be investing in the means of Tuvalu’s destruction” – by Wes Morgan.
And I agree with the Tuvalu Minister of Climate Change when he said this is a totally “immoral” thing to do whilst keeping it a secret to the people of Tuvalu. I suggest that thorough investigations be made into the reported TTF fossil fuel investments. Again, where is climate integrity in these irresponsible actions – and I also wonder how many other externally funded bilateral, regional, and multilateral projects in Tuvalu have had investments in fossil fuels.
While I appreciate the enormous funding by Australia to sponsor the holding of the two upcoming pre-COPs in Fiji and Tuvalu. I strongly believe these two side events must be utilised to mobilise the widest possible Pacific participation to line up for COP31. There is no need to rewrite Paris. But we must remind ourselves and the world of the urgent need for a comprehensive strategy to save the islands and the world through urgent concrete actions by all, particularly through financing, renewables, and phasing out fossil fuels.
These said, we cannot repeat the unfortunate hijacking of our Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) priorities by geopolitical interests, as seen in Koror. Sadly, we lost unity. We, SIDS, got our appeals for 1.5’C, we got NDCs; and we got loss and damage all put into the Paris Agreement. We situated ourselves better through the Suva Declaration, Blue Ocean Continent, Boe Declaration, Kainaki II, 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy, and through strong and collective Pacific leadership.
If we were able to then, why can’t we get the world REMINDED to act URGENTLY now in COP31? Obviously, we must relook not only at the resources and craving for ODA but also at true coalition building.
Let me illustrate a couple of unfortunate examples of misleading policies by major powers in the Pacific.
Last year, the Tuvalu Government entered into an agreement with Australia to allow 280 Tuvaluans to migrate to Australia in a so-called response to climate change. This is called the Falepili Union Treaty.
Unfortunately, this migration scheme has nothing to do with climate change despite assertions by Australia. The selection of Tuvaluans who can migrate is done by ballot. It includes Tuvaluan citizens who are not even living in Tuvalu. If it was a response to climate change, it would have a selection process based on finding the people most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The treaty does not do this. There is no climate integrity.
Gravely, the treaty has two very serious consequences.
First, the wording says that Tuvalu must consult with Australia first before entering into any agreements with other nations. Effectively, this is handing over our sovereignty to Australia. We can no longer make decisions on our international relations on our own. So the treaty is really a security agreement.
This is a shameful example of neo-colonialism. As I stated in my speech to the Australia Institute Summit two years ago, I remember when the former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, said that Australia would be happy to take all Tuvaluans if Australia could have access to their fishing zone. I was appalled by this statement. Kevin Rudd’s policy has resurfaced with the Albanese government.
The second consequence of this treaty, which has received little attention, is the social disruption it is causing. People are being pulled from their lives in Tuvalu and transferred to Australia with no guarantee of employment.
In the early European history of Australia, Pacific peoples, including Tuvaluans, were taken from the islands to work in cane fields in Queensland. This was called blackbirding. In a small island nation like Tuvalu, taking people from our economy and community is already having serious social consequences. People holding essential jobs in Tuvalu are leaving, creating a significant vacuum. Furthermore, Tuvaluans have no guarantee that their skills will be transferable to Australia. This has to be the greatest social disruption the country has witnessed in its history.
It may appear that I have strayed a little from the topic of climate integrity, but this migration agreement has been flagged as a response to climate change. It is not. If Australia had any integrity, it would stop exporting fossil fuels. If this were to happen, there would be far less reason for Tuvaluans to leave their country.
Let me quickly turn to the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Climate Change. The Opinion clearly states that States should, in the context of climate change, “use all means [at their] disposal in order to avoid activities which take place in [their] territory, or in any area under [their] jurisdiction, causing significant damage to the environment of another State”.
Australia, through its coal mining and gas extraction, is infringing on this obligation. It is carrying out what the ICJ says is an internationally wrongful act. So, clearly, there is no climate integrity there.
Unfortunately, the current Tuvalu Government has been blinded by the Falepili Treaty and fails to see the greater harm it is suffering by Australia’s lack of climate integrity.
Sooner or later, Australia will be held to account for its failure to show climate integrity and for its internationally wrong fossil fuel exports. I hope there are lawyers out there ready to litigate this shameful disregard for Tuvalu’s future.
We want to live in Tuvalu, not to become a second-class citizen of Australia. And likewise, our grandchildren, who would be in their thirties around the time for net zero carbon in Australia, would like to remain in Tuvalu.
Saving them and others would need no more COPs, no more fossil fuels, but an urgent climate change integrity strategy of concrete actions….PACNEWS
Enele S Sopoaga, is a former Prime Minister of Tuvalu, and Founding Member, Pacific Elders’ Voice
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
SPREP and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Sign Historic Partnership Strengthening Pacific and Caribbean Climate Resilience
NUKU’ALOFA, 07 OCTOBER 2026 (SPREP)—On 14 September 2026, during the final day of the Eighth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-8) meeting in Nuku’alofa, Tonga; the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) formalized a historic partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen meteorological and hydrological services across the Pacific and Caribbean regions.
The MOU was signed by Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP, and Dr David A. Farrell, Principal of CIMH, bringing together two organisations with deep expertise in supporting island communities to navigate climate and weather challenges.
SPREP is the Pacific region’s environmental intergovernmental organisation based in Apia, Samoa. Through its Climate Science and Information (CSI) Programme, SPREP supports Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) to strengthen their institutional and technical capacities, improve the generation and use of climate science and information, and enhance weather, climate, and hydrological services. SPREP also leads implementation of the Early Warnings for All initiative across the Pacific, contributing to strengthened multi-hazard early warning systems and climate resilience.
Based in Barbados, CIMH is an Institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the technical organ of the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO), and an Affiliate of the University of the West Indies. CIMH hosts several highly specialized technical Centres that advance regional and global capacity development, research and development, as well as services development and delivery in meteorology, climate science, hydro-meteorology, water resources management, and marine science. Through collaborations with other regional and global institutions the CIMH is contributing to the development of advanced cascading multi-hazard early warning systems and integrative platforms designed to strengthen the social and economic resilience of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Dr David Farrell said, “For the CIMH, this partnership presents a tremendous opportunity for the Caribbean and Pacific SIDS to partner on building capacity and technical solutions specifically targeted to address the unique current and future challenges facing SIDS. The Caribbean and Pacific both understand the importance of becoming more self-reliant in a rapidly changing and uncertain world. By learning from each other, sharing expertise and creating opportunities for our young professionals to meet and interact, we can learn from each other and in doing so strengthen the products and services that our respective states and communities depend on. This is about South-South cooperation in action, Pacific and Caribbean expertise coming together to find solutions that work for island communities. Above all, this is an opportunity for people from distant island nations to build new friendships while learning from and about each other.”
This partnership between the two organisations will allow for knowledge sharing and the exchange of experience in seasonal forecasting, climate analysis, and sectoral climate services, creating a pathway for Pacific meteorological services to learn from Caribbean approaches to building climate-resilient economies and vice versa. It will also increase opportunities for Pacific and Caribbean island states to exchange knowledge, particularly on disaster risk reduction and adapting services for island communities that face strikingly similar climate challenges, from tropical cyclones to sea-level rise and ocean acidification.
“This partnership reflects the strength of the Pacific when we come together, share what we know and learn from each other. Our islands may be different, but many of the challenges we face are shared as Small Island Developing States. By working together, supporting our people and investing in the next generation of Pacific meteorologists and climate professionals, we can build stronger services and better prepare our communities for the changes ahead,” said Director General Sefanaia Nawadra following the signing.
“At the heart of this partnership is a simple goal: to ensure that we are sharing our knowledge and information and make a real difference in the lives of our people.”
The five-year partnership is renewable and builds on both organisations’ commitment to the United Nation’s (UN) Early Warnings for All initiative, reflecting a shared determination to ensure that island communities in the Pacific and Caribbean have access to timely, reliable climate and weather information to support decision-making and save lives.
As climate impacts intensify across both regions, this collaboration represents a critical step forward in strengthening the science and services that underpin resilience…..PACNEWS
For more information on the MOU, SPREP or the work of SPREP and CIMH, visit www.cimh.edu
or www.sprep.org. Or contact Angelica Salele-Sefo (Communications & Knowledge Officer of the Weather Ready Pacific Programme at SPREP) at angelicas@sprep.org /Lyn-Marie Deane (Communications Specialist at CIMH) at ldeane@cimh.edu.bb
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