Unified Pacific is the game changer, says senior UN executive
An Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations has urged a key gathering of finance ministers from across the Pacific to form a “unified and strengthened Pacific” as a game changer in the struggle against the
ICJ extends submission deadline for Advisory Opinion on climate change
A new timeline has been approved by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for written statements and comments on the landmark Advisory Opinion on the legal responsibilities of countries fighting climate change.
PNG’s foreign reps irk governor
Papua New Guinea’s Northern Governor Gary Juffa has raised concerns over foreigners representing Papua New Guinea to address the issue of climate change. “At a recent United Nations Framework Convention on
‘Terrible’ rules starve climate-hit islands of finance, inquiry told
Development assistance rules are denying “vulnerable” small island developing states, or SIDS, of the help they need to combat the climate emergency and must be rewritten, a UK inquiry has been told. Multiple
Pacific aid to enforce climate, gender equality targets
Australia will push to create local employment and boost the domestic economies of its Pacific island neighbours while keeping an eye on climate change and gender equality. The latest international development policy is
Water: PWWA talks resilience
The resilience of the Pacific’s water services is not just about climate proofing existing and future infrastructure, but also ensuring the appropriate technology is being put in, and that there are the right people
Diplomat says ‘fully-fledged’ embassy in Samoa will offer Paris greater clout
A French diplomat says having an embassy in Samoa will enable France to play a more central role on issues that arise in the Pacific, such as security and climate change. French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans
Rainbow Warrior arrives in Fiji: Visit to focus on climate justice
The Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior has arrived in Suva, the last stop of its Pacific tour carrying climate activists, Pacific campaigners and First Nation leaders. The ship was greeted at the port with a traditional
Pacific nations gather in Samoa for first Loss and Damage dialogue
Pacific people are increasingly suffering loss and damage from superstorms breaking records each year; sea level rise eating away villages and arable land; ocean acidification dissolving our reefs; increasing sea
Temperatures off the charts, but more records imminent: WMO
Global sea surface temperatures reached a record high in May, June, and July – and the warming El Niño weather pattern is only just getting started – experts at the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said
Pacific “mixed feelings” after compromise on shipping’s climate goals
Governments have agreed to an improved set of climate goals for the shipping sector after climate vulnerable Pacific nations and trade-reliant emerging economies struck a compromise at talks in London. After two weeks
IMO agrees to nonbinding target to achieve net zero “around 2050”
International Maritime Organization (IMO) member states have reached a tentative deal on the thorny question of bringing shipping into line with the Paris Agreement. The newly-agreed MEPC climate roadmap calls for
Governments set to fail to plot shipping industry course for 1.5C
A campaign by climate-vulnerable Pacific islands to raise governments’ ambition on emissions-cutting for the global shipping industry looks set to fail at talks in London. With just over a day of negotiations left at
Opinion: We have run out of time
Why Pacific feminists and climate justice activists are boycotting COP28 “COP28 is this year so heavily compromised that a grassroots-led group like DIVA for Equality would be betraying the constituency by
Pacific climate diplomacy moves beyond COPs
As negotiations stutter and stall with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Pacific Island governments and communities are ramping up diplomatic efforts to call for urgent action on fossil fuels.
Not Too Late: Thelma Young-Lutunatabua
Not Too Late is the name, and the message of a new book edited by a woman with strong Fiji connections, for people concerned about climate change. Thelma Young-Lutunatabua and her collaborator, Rebecca Solnit, wrote the
Legal protection essential for people displaced by climate change: UN expert
An independent UN-appointed climate expert on Tuesday called for full legal protection to be given to those displaced by the impacts of climate change, to guarantee their human rights. “The effects of climate change
World Bank to suspend debt repayments for disaster-hit countries
The World Bank will start offering a pause in loan repayments to the “most vulnerable” countries when they are hit by catastrophic events including climate-related disasters. The bank’s new chief Ajay Banga
World leaders headed to Paris summit in push for global debt, climate reform
World leaders will gather in Paris this week with ambitions to reimagine global financing for a new era shaped by climate change, as a cascade of crises swamps debt-burdened countries. French President Emmanuel Macron
Pacific calls for immediate ratification of Highseas Treaty
As the global community embrace the adoption of the new Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty, the Pacific are calling on the international community to seize this milestone momentum and rally
The Next Breakthrough in Shipping isn’t on the horizon. It’s here.
Few think of the ocean as an epicenter for human ingenuity, but our history and future can be charted by our life on the seas, President David Kabua writes. From the extraordinary voyages of my ancestors and other early
Hundreds of World Bank climate projects have no direct connection to climate, research finds
Several hundred World Bank-backed projects with the stated aim of tackling climate change have no obvious connection to climate mitigation, a U.S. report finds, questioning its spending figures over two decades.
Bonn climate talks at risk of collapse, after seven-day agenda debate
Seven days into climate talks in the German city of Bonn, governments have not been able to agree on an agenda, sparking fears of two wasted weeks of talks while the climate crisis worsens. Talks on issues like reducing
