[Photo: FIJI GOVERNMENT/ FACEBOOK]

The Pacific is demanding greater climate action and finance as rising seas, warming oceans and worsening coastal flooding put growing pressure on food security, freshwater supplies and communities across the region.

Minister for Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya says Pacific leaders must use the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau to secure a united regional position before the Pacific takes its climate demands to Pre-COP31 and COP31.

The meeting comes as Fiji prepares to host the Pacific Pre-COP in October, with Tuvalu and Australia also playing key roles in the Pacific-led process ahead of COP31 in Türkiye.

Pacific foreign ministers have already backed a stronger regional push for climate finance, renewable energy and greater Pacific leadership in the global climate negotiations.

Tabuya states the Pacific cannot afford to approach the climate crisis as individual countries.

“We need to come together in solidarity to make strong statements in how we need to advocate and also speak up and protect our people from the ongoing effects of climate change.”

At the heart of the Pacific position is the fight to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius target within reach.

Tabuya said exceeding that threshold would have destructive consequences for Pacific nations, making stronger global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions critical.

Rising sea levels are increasing the risk of coastal flooding and saltwater intrusion. Freshwater sources are being placed under pressure, while farming communities face growing risks to their land and production.

The warming of the Pacific Ocean is also affecting fisheries, with changes in water temperatures altering where fish are found and putting pressure on marine ecosystems.

The consequences extend directly to household food supplies.

Tabuya says climate change is already affecting the fish stocks that Pacific communities depend on, while changes to the marine environment threaten the wider food system.

Tabuya said coastal flooding could force entire communities to relocate to higher ground.

Countries facing the greatest climate impacts, she says, should receive greater support.

The demand for finance is also tied to the region’s push to protect its oceans.

Tabuya adds that growing geopolitical interest in the Pacific, including interest in deep-sea mining, makes protection of the ocean and seabed an increasingly important issue.

The Pacific’s position is gaining greater urgency as countries prepare for COP31.

The region is seeking to take its priorities from the Forum in Palau, through the Pre-COP process in the Pacific and onto the global negotiations in Türkiye.