Regional church leaders want the international community to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

At a regional workshop in Auckland, New Zealand, members of the Pacific Conference of Churches and the World Council of Churches in Australia and New Zealand stated their support for the Suva Declaration 2015.

The leaders say a global temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius will not safeguard Pacific islands from sea level rise.

They also agreed on a list of priorities for climate justice which they wish to be addressed by their representatives at COP21 in Paris later this year.

The leaders recognised that climate change is forcing displacement of Pacific Island populations and called for a response which activated the full spectrum of rights enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent Treaties.

They also called for the establishment of a regional task force on climate financing, and support for adaptation measures to address food security, health, water, sanitation, agriculture, forest, and fisheries.

The leaders identified strong relational values, responsibility and spirituality as the source of the resilience of Pacific Peoples and the basis of their collective priorities and interests.

The leaders also expressed their support for recent statements made by their secular counterparts through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and Pacific Islands Development Forum on the issue of climate change.