October 08, 2026
Pacific leaders brought the
Pre-COP to Tuvalu and Fiji, and underscored the reality of
the climate crisis. World leaders recognised their
leadership and every government acknowledged the region’s
vulnerability, yet that recognition was not translated into
a more ambitious agenda for COP31, neither for cutting
emissions nor for boosting adaptation.
In
response, Jacobo Ocharan, Head of Political Strategies at
CAN International, said: “From deadly floods in
Nepal to the looming threat of a Super El Niño, the climate
crisis is accelerating. Communities urgently need support to
adapt and to protect lives and livelihoods. Instead,
governments are cutting adaptation finance and development
aid while military budgets grow. The money exists.
Governments are choosing where the money goes and it’s not
on the climate crisis.
“COP31 is just weeks
away, and governments have made too little progress. Antalya
must deliver the Belém-Antalya Mechanism for Just
Transition, with practical support for workers and
communities. It must deliver stronger commitments on
adaptation finance. And it must agree to a credible climate
finance work programme, anchored in developed countries’
obligations under the Paris Agreement. Above all,
governments must show how they intend to close the gap
between current climate action and the 1.5°C
limit.
“New pledges to improve access to
finance are welcome, but this is only possible if there is
finance available and at the scale needed. New
electrification commitments must speed up renewable energy,
not open loopholes for fossil fuels.
“The
Pacific has shown the world what is at stake. Now
governments must show they are ready to act. Words of
concern will not protect anyone. Antalya must deliver
decisions that change people’s lives for the
better.”
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