PINA

Two days into the climate talks and Pacific Island countries have already been strong-armed into taking the short end of stick. While the inclusion of loss and damage for developing countries on the agenda for COP27 has been labelled a momentum shift, the reality for compensation and liability funding for vulnerable islands will not be realised in this meeting. Pacific Islands...

The US$100 billion to battle climate change pledged by developed countries should be delivered and made accessible, Fijian envoy to the United Nations urged at an international conference on climate change being held in Sharm el-sheikh. “As we know, Fiji and Pacific island countries have been on the frontlines of climate change. This is not an exaggeration, a single extreme...

The Government of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has formally announced the submission of its updated Nationally-Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. NDCs are non-binding national plans highlighting Climate Change mitigation and adaptation, including Climate-related targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, policies, and measures to implement in response to Climate Change, and as a contribution...

As loss and damage shapes up to be the top issue on the agenda at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, a new report by Greenpeace Australia Pacific has found just one year of subsidies handed out to the fossil fuel industry in Australia could fund the loss and damage caused by a decade of cyclones in Fiji. Between 2010-2020, Fiji was...

-The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has blasted the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, for trying to “score a cheap domestic political point” after the Liberal leader used the opening day of the Cop27 UN climate summit to demand Australia not compensate other countries for accumulating climate disasters. After António Guterres opened the climate conference in Egypt with a stark warning...

A key commitment from the WTO’s Fisheries Subsidies Agreement has now been made effective. Specifically, the WTO Fisheries Funding Mechanism envisioned in that Agreement is now operational and ready to accept donations to support developing and least-developed countries in implementing the WTO’s new agreement to curb harmful fisheries subsidies. The WTO Secretariat formally submitted its notification outlining how the Fund will...

Pacific island youth met with Australian and Pacific Island leaders at COP27 this week, to present their demands on decarbonisation, additional loss and damage commitments and accessible climate finance. Speaking to the new Australian Ambassador for climate change, Kristin Tilley, Pacific civil society representatives shared the Kioa Climate Emergency Declaration, a historic document drafted on the shores of Kioa Island...

The tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu is not just on the brink of sinking due to climate change-induced sea level rise. The island with a population of just over 11,000 people are grabbling with an extreme drought, which has forced the Government to declare a State of Public Emergency this week. The proclamation, signed by Tuvalu’s Governor General, Sir Tofinga Vaevalu...

The extreme heat from the climate crisis has killed more than 30 million of Palau’s beautiful, non-stinging jellyfish in its world-renowned Jellyfish Lake, robbing the Pacific country of one of their star tourism attractions, and impacting its economy. It is one of many impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, droughts and issues with food security, highlighted by Palau’s...

Covid-19 cases in Tuvalu have soared to 443, with 303 news cases recorded since Sunday. This is the first time the country has experienced a community outbreak of the virus. Last Wednesday, routine testing found two probable cases, which were later confirmed to be community transmission cases and the government declared a Covid-19 outbreak. Two people have been hospitalised. All health facilities in...