Mosese Raqio 
Fiji’s survival and the future of other Pacific island countries depend on keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said in a strong message ahead of the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil.
He warned the world is significantly off track in meeting the Paris Agreement goals and said the window for meaningful action is closing rapidly.
Rabuka stressed that the era of unabated fossil fuel use must end, urging major emitters, especially G20 countries, to phase out fossil fuels and halt all new fossil fuel expansion immediately.
The Prime Minister said the climate crisis wass the greatest moral and existential test of this generation.
He added that Pacific countries, although least responsible for global emissions, are already experiencing its harshest impacts.
He said the injustice was appalling, and while the Pacific suffers first and worst, it refuses to be a mere victim.
“The era of unabated fossil fuel use must end. Major emitters, especially G20 countries, must lead the way, phasing out fossil fuels in a fair, orderly manner and ending all new fossil fuel expansion immediately.”
Rabuka states the Pacific is not only a region of climate victims but climate leaders, acting with resilience even as rising seas, cyclones, and flooding destroy years of development.
He highlighted Fiji’s enhanced Third Nationally Determined Contribution, saying it was done not because it is easy but because it is necessary.
He called for a clear roadmap for climate finance, urging developed nations to meet and exceed the USD 100 billion commitment and provide predictable funding for adaptation, loss and damage.
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