Pacific climate advocates are urging Australia, a regional leader, to fulfill their expectations as it seeks to host COP31. Activists gathered in Tonga this week for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting.
Tuvalu’s Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Home Affairs, Maina Talia, emphasized the importance of mitigation for the survival and prosperity of the Pacific, a sentiment echoed by Joseph Sikulu, the Pacific managing director of 350.org. Sikulu, who identifies as both Australian and Tongan, stressed the need for the Albanese Government to exhibit genuine climate leadership.
“Such leadership is vital not only for the Pacific or Tonga but for all of us who have supported this government and the Labor Party throughout generations,” Sikulu stated. He pointed out that while Australia has contributed $100 million to the Pacific Resilience Facility, it continues to approve new fossil fuel projects, worsening the climate crisis and increasing recovery challenges for the Pacific.
Sikulu called for a transition driven by financial support and an end to fossil fuel dependence. There are also demands for COP31 to be recognized not only as an Australian event but as a Pacific event.
Rufino Varea, regional director of the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network, acknowledged Australia’s aspirations to be seen as a climate leader while co-hosting the COP. However, he insisted that genuine leadership must translate into action. Varea criticized Australia’s increased gas production as inconsistent with the urgent needs of the Pacific and urged the country to align its domestic and international climate policies with the Pacific’s objectives, particularly advocating for a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific.
Varea stressed that Australia must commit to ambitious climate initiatives, ensure effective climate finance for Pacific Island Countries, and make substantial contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund. He warned that failure to take these actions could result in a COP that acknowledges failures in reaching critical targets, while Pacific communities endure exploitation for the benefit of others.