Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama [Source: Fijian Government]

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says Small Island Developing States are tired of reiterating their people’s suffering and applauding their resilience in the wake of climate change.

Speaking at the High-Level Blue Pacific to Glasgow Forum, Bainimarama challenged world leaders to arrive at COP26 with meaningful climate commitments.

He says Fiji and the Pacific’s demands are clear, and they want real action from developed nations at the upcoming climate talks.

“We refuse to be the proverbial canaries in the worlds’ coal mine as we are so often called. We want more for ourselves than to be helpless songbirds whose demise serves as a warning to others.”

Bainimarama says the Small Island Developing States want wealthier countries to deliver on the $100b promised in climate finance and commit to emission cuts that keep the 1.5-degree warming target within reach.

“We have heard the fierce urgency of this moment and the demands of young people around the world. They are angry as they should be. We are widely off-track from leaving them a world worth living in. Yet, we know there are leaders who hope to sneak in and out of Glasgow without making a single serious commitment that will save our planet for coming generations.”

World leaders will convene in Glasgow in 23 days for COP26, and their decisions will define the next 30 years of our response to the climate crisis.