[Photo: File]

Fiji’s growing dependence on overseas climate finance is raising questions about whether the country is doing enough to fund its own climate resilience.

Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense Deputy Chair Rinesh Sharma says the country’s repeated focus on its climate vulnerability could be contributing to a culture of dependency on foreign funding.

Sharma says the national budget does not have enough resources to fully address the country’s climate challenges, leaving it reliant on financial support from other nations and international partners.

He adds that while international climate finance can help Fiji respond to climate change, there needs to be greater focus on strengthening the country’s own capacity to fund and manage its climate priorities.

“So what needs to be done back home so that we’re actually, you know, somewhat on our feet when it comes to tackling some of the climate challenges that we face, and to share the pressure or the dependency right now on accessing global finance for climate?”

In response, Permanent Secretary for Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael says Fiji should not back away from accessing international climate finance, as the country is facing a climate crisis it did not create.

“Fiji should not back away from accessing those funds, because we are responding to a climate crisis that we did not create. And I think it’s absolutely clear to put on record that the cost, the financial cost that is borne out of the fiscal space of our budget, which is almost approximately 500 million, due to 80% of that being climate-induced events that are caused by cyclones and floods, there are recurring events that our national infrastructure is not able to take up.”

Dr Michael adds that Fiji’s national infrastructure cannot absorb the recurring costs of climate-related disasters, making international climate finance necessary to supplement government funding.

He says Fiji therefore needs a long-term funding model that combines domestic resources with appropriate international support to deal with the growing cost of climate change.