Pre-COP31 has concluded in Fiji, putting the region’s
priorities at the centre of deliberations. With Australia
and Türkiye promising a COP31 of “implementation” and
electrification, Pacific climate advocates have drawn firm
lines on what is required to keep the 1.5 degree target
within reach.
Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org
Pacific and Caribbean Program Manager
said:
“Leaders have come to the Pacific and
witnessed the extent of the fossil-fueled climate crisis.
They now carry that mantle of witness-bearing and
accountability into COP31. But they also carry the standard
that we’ve set as a region on a path away from fossil
fuels.
We commend the commitments of the co-presidency
to the global electrification goal but maintain that any
hope of keeping 1.5 degrees alive requires this goal be
built by renewables, not the broken, expensive systems of
the past.
There is unequivocal science, echoed for
decades by Pacific people, that proves this is what is
required of us. COP31 must be where you act on all of the
evidence provided. We hope Australia and Türkiye live up to
their “implementation” promises, not only for the sake
of the Pacific, but for the sake of our collective
futures.”
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Efe Baysal, Türkiye Lead at
350.org,
said:
“As we look towards COP31 in
Türkiye, there is no more room for complacency or empty
promises. The world cannot afford another climate summit
that falls short on action. Türkiye must work with
Australia and other governments to show real leadership and
deliver clear, credible pathways away from fossil fuels.
That means putting an end to our dependence on coal, oil and
gas and accelerating a just transition to renewable energy.
The science is clear, the solutions are available, and
communities are already paying the price of delay. COP31
must be the moment when implementation means more than
words, when governments turn their commitments into concrete
plans to phase out fossil fuels and secure a safer, fairer
future for
all.”
