PINA

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Tuvalu like the rest of the Pacific is not standing idly by, waiting for the world to act – we’ve taken precautionary steps to protect and preserve our statehood and sovereignty, says Simon Kofe, the islands foreign affairs minister. He joined delegates at COP27 virtually from an island in Tuvalu that’s predicted...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm el Sheikh With a history of being fought over bitterly in the last century, the Marshall Islands continues the next onslaught that the extraction of fossil fuels is unleashing. The Marshall Islands were the testing grounds for the most destructive weapons ever known, and today the island nation is threatened by the rising seas...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Mid-week through the negotiations and global civil society organisations are frustrated at the stalling tactics and snail’s pace of the negotiation on key issues like loss and damage and the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature goal that’s facing some push back. Harjeet Singh of Climate Action Network is particularly angry with the fossil fuel...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh  Fiji joins other Pacific Island nations in strongly advocating for the 1.5-degree threshold, that it says, now hangs in a balance. “As it hangs in the balance, so does the future of small island states, warns Fiji’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Satyendra Prasad. He reminded the High Level Panel Tuesday to uphold...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh  Pacific youth movements led by the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change have thrown their support behind the government of Vanuatu as it takes up the fight to get an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on obligations of States under international law to protect the rights of...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Vanuatu’s locally developed and trialed root crop, the Golden Yam has been described the most successful root crop created after 15 years of research, according to the director of the country’s department of agriculture, Antoine Ravo. The successful story was shared with a global audience that attended the side event organised by...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Pacific negotiators and political champions have rallied support and used every opportunity at side events and bilateral discussions to hone in on the six priority issues that all the Pacific Island Countries are collectively pushing for at COP27. The new priority issue of gender and adaptation has gained a lot of traction...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Fiji and other Pacific Small Island Developing Countries (PSIDS) continued their push to include oceans on the agenda of the global climate talks in Sharm El Sheikh this week despite very little movement on the issue in week one of the negotiations. It hasn’t dampened the interest for countries like Fiji who...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh Vanuatu’s much awaited UN General Assembly Resolution that is seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to protect the rights of people against the adverse effects of climate change will be announced this week, at the COP27 meeting in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Minister Ralph Regenvanu, the...

By Makereta Komai, PACNEWS Editor in Sharm El Sheikh The Canadian Government has renewed its CAD10 million climate risk early warning system (CREWS) that will benefit a number of Pacific Island Countries meteorological services in the next four years. Canadian Minister for Environment, Honorable Steven Guilbeault made the announcement at a COP27 side event here in Sharm El Sheikh on Friday...