Pacific leaders meet in Fiji ahead of COP31 to discuss climate finance, the 1.5°C target and ocean-climate issues.

Pacific leaders have gathered in Fiji for the opening of the Pacific Pre-COP31 High-Level Meeting, with climate finance, the 1.5-degree Celsius target and the role of the ocean among key issues being discussed ahead of COP31.

Following an official traditional welcome at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort in Nadi on Monday, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the Pacific’s experience of climate change should be taken seriously as countries prepare for global climate negotiations later this year.

Rabuka said Pacific communities have traditionally relied on close observation of their surroundings to understand changes in the environment.

“Our elders were readers of science,” he said, referring to observations of the sky, tides, trees and movements of birds.

He said this knowledge helped communities decide when to plant, fish and move, describing it as “attention that kept people alive.”

Rabuka used the traditional Pacific conch shell, or davui, to describe the warning he believes the region is sending about climate change.

“The Pacific Ocean is sounding like a conch shell now,” he said.

He said the impacts being experienced across the Pacific should not be seen as an issue affecting only island countries.

“Drying seas, warming oceans, water that fails, food that does not come, crops that cannot be harvested, or even planted — these are not Pacific risks. They are human risks. They are shared risks,” Rabuka said.

He described Pacific communities as being on the frontline of climate impacts and said their experiences could offer an indication of challenges other parts of the world may face.

“I am not asking you to look at the Pacific with your sympathy. I am asking you to look at us as a bellwether, indicating the scale of the challenges to come,” he said.

Rabuka called for countries to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius goal within reach, improve access to climate finance for communities and give the ocean a stronger place in climate negotiations.

“Make finance reach the communities that need it,” he said.

The Pacific Pre-COP31 meeting brings together Pacific governments, leaders and partners ahead of COP31 in Türkiye in November. The meeting is addressing regional priorities including climate finance, the 1.5°C target, ocean-climate issues and the transition to renewable energy.

Rabuka also called for open and inclusive discussions during the meeting.

“Let us be generous in listening, slow to blame, and focused on finding solutions that serve the common good,” he said.