Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[Photo: Supplied]
Pacific youth leaders are demanding stronger climate action, saying communities on the frontline should not have to repeatedly relive trauma to prove the impacts of climate change.
Speaking at the opening of the Pacific Pre-COP31 in Nadi, Pacific Youth Council representative Miliana Iga says communities will share their experiences throughout the week.
Iga says decision-makers have a responsibility to carry those stories into climate negotiations and turn them into action.
“But sharing pain must never be the price of being believed. In the spirit of reciprocity, those who receive these stories, all of us gathered here today, have a responsibility to carry them forward.”
COP31 Youth Climate Champion Sally Higgins says climate change is already shaping young people’s lives, affecting jobs, education, safety and the cost of living.
She says young people are not talking about climate change as a distant threat, but as a reality they are dealing with now.
Pacific youth leaders say their communities must not only be heard at climate discussions, but their knowledge and lived experiences must directly shape the decisions that follow.
