The Pacific countries, considered the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change, worked to establish their priorities in global climate negotiations at the climate conference held in Nadi, Fiji. This meeting serves as a precursor to the COP31 summit in Turkey in November.
Emphasis on Reducing Emissions
Representatives of the Pacific countries emphasized the need to increase efforts to reduce emissions to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Linda Tabuya, Fiji's Minister of Climate Change, stated at the beginning of the pre-COP negotiations: "We are approaching the 1.5-degree temperature limit, and this is concerning for us." She added: "We cannot simply allow ourselves to exceed this limit, and we must fulfill our responsibilities in this regard."
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Priorities of the Pacific Countries
The priorities of these countries include securing better access to climate finance, protecting the oceans, and ensuring adherence to the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Tabuya also noted that these countries face serious challenges, including rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions. She said: "We are witnessing the effects of climate change in our daily lives, including storm waters approaching our homes and marine habitats that have been severely damaged."
On Tuesday, a group of Pacific island leaders gathered in Fiji and, after visiting the vulnerable country of Tuvalu, adopted a declaration calling for deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in emissions. This declaration, named "Taku Pakasua," refers to the power found in unity and collective action.
The declaration states: "Every fraction of a degree that increases accelerates the effects of climate change and raises the risk of loss and irreparable damage." Dichen Tsering, the Director of the Asia and Pacific Regional Office of the United Nations Environment Programme, emphasized that exceeding 1.5 degrees and the associated environmental damages are unavoidable, stating: "The risks associated with the Pacific will exceed the temperature peak. Every additional 100 years above 1.5 degrees will commit the world to about a 40-centimeter rise in sea level by 2300."
Murad Kurum, Turkey's Minister of Environment and President of COP31, stated that limiting the exceedance of 1.5 degrees is the common goal of this summit and expressed hope that this goal will be achieved.
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