Nadi, Fiji, 05 Oct 2026 (Lusa) – Fiji’s climate minister today urged developed countries to support a “fair transition” to renewable energy, helping states most exposed to the consequences of climate change.
© Lusa
05/10/2026
by
Lusa
Lynda Tabuya demanded “commitments from developed countries on reducing greenhouse gas emissions” and said he wanted “a fair transition to abandon fossil fuels”.
The minister spoke to journalists in the archipelago in Nadi, where a preparatory meeting for the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31), to be held in Antalya, Turkey, took place from 9 to 20 November.
Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia host this pre-conference event by Thursday to increase awareness of the priorities of small island Pacific states, particularly vulnerable to rising sea level and extreme weather events.
The Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, asked, on the eve of the meeting, that climate finance should reach the communities that need it “now” and as “an act of justice, not charity”.
Fiji also expects to secure commitments of approximately 500 million dollars (about 442 million euros) to strengthen the resilience of Pacific nations.
The region also advocates maintaining the goal of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century and compared to pre-industrial levels, increasing funding for adaptation and mitigation of losses and damage, and placing the oceans at the centre of negotiations.
Hours earlier, also in Nadi, the UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change, Simon Still, warned of the danger of extreme heat in pregnancy and childbirth, defending protective measures against the effects of global warming.
In a speech, Stiell considered that “keep cool” is not an option when there is no fresh place to go, stressing that it is necessary to include maternal and neonatal health in national climate adaptation plans and strategies to combat heat waves.
The UN official spoke at an event organized by Wellcome, an international foundation that finances research and health programs, within an initiative to promote measures to protect pregnant women and newborns against the effects of global warming.
Stiell presented new data from a Wellcome survey to a thousand maternal health professionals from Australia, Brazil, India, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe, in which 73% reported that heat-related cases or complications increased in the last five years.
According to the findings of the survey, 81% of health professionals are concerned about the increasing risk of heat to maternal, fetal and neonatal health.