Pacific Nations Demand $1.5 Billion Climate Fund at COP31
Pacific leaders concluded a Pre-COP meeting in Fiji, establishing a $1.5 billion funding target for Türkiye to support island resilience ahead of the COP31 summit.
Pacific nations concluded a Pre-COP meeting in Nadi, Fiji, where they established a US$1.5 billion funding target to protect island communities from rising sea levels and extreme weather. Lynda Tabuya, Fiji's Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change, announced that the region will hold the upcoming COP31 summit in Antalya, Türkiye, to this target. Türkiye's Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum described the goal as "US$1.5 billion for 1.5 degrees," aligning the funding with the global warming limit.
The meeting resulted in several immediate financial commitments, including US$10 million from Fiji to the Pacific Resilience Facility and 25 million kina (US$5.6 million) from Papua New Guinea for land reclamation in Tuvalu. Australia provided a AUD$7.29 million renewable energy package and AUD$3 million for infrastructure protection. Over 3,000 participants endorsed the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, emphasizing the need to limit the 1.5°C temperature overshoot.
While leaders sought to turn "political momentum into delivery," critics expressed skepticism. Jacobo Ocharan of CAN International argued that governments are prioritizing military budgets over adaptation finance and demanded the establishment of the Belém-Antalya Mechanism for Just Transition. Tabuya warned that communities cannot rebuild from cyclones with "promises and speeches," stating that the true value of the Pre-COP discussions will be measured by the concrete decisions made at COP31, which runs from November 9 to 20.
