Fiji is putting Pacific priorities and solutions at the centre of global climate discussions as more than 50 countries gather in the country from today for the 2026 Pacific Pre-COP meeting.
Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change Lynda Tabuya says the Pacific’s influence on global climate action has always been greater than its size.
Tabuya says Pre-COP will help turn climate commitments into practical action, including securing greater investment in blue economy solutions to protect the oceans.
She says renewable energy strengthens resilience, reduces fuel costs and supports sustainable development across the region.
Pre-COP is being co-hosted by Fiji and Australia from today until Thursday, while a special Leaders’ event will take place in Tuvalu from today to tomorrow.
The meeting is the last major Ministerial meeting before COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.
Keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius target within reach, accelerating the clean energy transition, safeguarding the ocean and unlocking finance for vulnerable countries will be key areas of discussion.
The meeting comes as climate-related disasters including glacier collapse, heatwaves and tropical storms continue to affect millions of people around the world.
The organisers say collective action has already brought projected global warming down from four degrees Celsius to 2.6 degrees, following the Paris Agreement in 2015.
International Energy Agency figures show renewables now account for more than 34 percent of electricity generation worldwide, compared with 23 percent in 2015.
Renewables are also now the cheapest form of energy generation globally and the fastest to deploy, with twice as much renewable capacity forecast to be installed from 2025 to 2030 compared with 2019 to 2024.
Fiji will also host the Vale ni Vanua Knowledge Exchange programme, highlighting youth climate leadership, the latest climate science and solutions to climate impacts in maternal health, the ocean and agriculture.
Meanwhile, Tuvalu’s Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Dr Maina Vakafua Talia says the Leaders’ event will bring global decision-makers to the frontlines of climate change and show the impacts faced by communities.
He says Tuvalu is a low-lying atoll nation, with an average height of just two metres above sea level, and decisions made at Pre-COP and COP31 will be felt by its communities first.
Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen says the Pacific is at the frontline of the climate crisis, where the effects of climate change are real and immediate.
Bowen says hosting Pre-COP in the Pacific is bringing global attention to the impacts, opportunities and priorities of the region.
COP31 President and Türkiye’s Minister for Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Murat Kurum says promises do not hold back the sea or shield homes from fire, and only delivery can save people.
Kurum says the COP31 Presidency has an action plan covering electrification, zero waste, resilient cities and oceans, all supported by finance.
He says the aim is to have the world arrive in Antalya ready to deliver results.
Over the four days, leaders and delegates will take part in sessions and bilateral meetings focused on climate action, clean energy, investment and resilience.
