COP climate summit

At a pre-COP meeting, a Pacific leader declared that the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels is 'not open for renegotiation', delivering the message during a traditional exchange of views at the end of a three-hour visit. The firm stance has drawn attention to tensions with fossil-fuel-supporting governments, including Australia, ahead of the climate summit.

Ahead of the UN climate summit, pre-COP discussions are focusing on the Pacific islands' worsening climate situation and the push to keep global warming below 1.5C. Low-lying Pacific nations face rising seas and intensifying storms, making them central voices in negotiations, and delegates are using the meeting to build support for stronger emissions cuts and climate finance commitments.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned that the country faces a summer of extreme weather, telling delegates at a pre-COP gathering in Tuvalu and Fiji that a brewing 'super El Niño' in the Pacific shows climate change is 'here right now'. His remarks come as Pacific island leaders press major emitters for stronger climate action ahead of the UN climate summit.

Pacific island nations are pressing for the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit to be firmly entrenched in negotiations at the COP climate summit. The states, among those most threatened by rising seas, want the target preserved in the final outcome despite pressure from some larger economies to water down language. Reuters and other outlets report the diplomatic push is shaping up as a key flashpoint of the talks.

The incoming COP31 presidency has outlined its expectations ahead of the Pacific pre-COP meeting, a gathering that brings together climate negotiators, particularly small island states, to build consensus before the main UN climate summit. The statement signals priorities for the negotiations and seeks alignment among participants on key issues heading into the talks.

A Pacific leader has told a pre-COP climate gathering that the agreement made at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels must stand, warning it is 'not open for renegotiation'. The intervention comes as countries prepare for upcoming UN climate talks, with Pacific island states pressing wealthier nations to preserve commitments to phase out oil, gas and coal amid concerns backsliding could stall progress.

UN climate change conferences are drawing renewed attention as governments and observers track progress on global emissions commitments. The annual COP gatherings bring world leaders, negotiators, businesses and activists together to agree on targets for limiting warming, funding adaptation in vulnerable countries and phasing down fossil fuels. Coverage is focusing on whether upcoming talks can deliver on pledges made at previous summits.

A Pacific leader has told a pre-Cop climate meeting that the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels is 'not open for renegotiation'. The remarks come ahead of the next UN climate summit, where some countries are expected to push back on the phasing-out commitment. Pacific island states, highly vulnerable to rising seas, have been among the strongest defenders of the deal, warning that any weakening would threaten their survival.

A Fijian government minister is pressing for improved climate finance arrangements ahead of the COP negotiations, describing the issue as personal for Pacific islanders facing climate impacts. Small island states have long argued that existing funding flows to help them adapt and recover from climate-related disasters fall far short of what is needed.

The UN's top climate official has warned that rising extreme heat poses a serious danger to pregnant women, mothers and newborn babies, speaking at the pre-COP meeting held ahead of the next UN climate summit. The intervention urges governments to treat heat as a health emergency for vulnerable groups, and puts maternal and infant health on the agenda as countries prepare their negotiating positions.

Chitose Noguchi, the UN Development Programme's Resident Representative, delivered a speech at a COP31 simulation event, where participants model the UN climate negotiations ahead of the real summit. The address, shared by the United Nations Development Programme, highlights the agency's efforts to engage delegates and young negotiators in climate diplomacy and preparedness for the upcoming climate conference.

Pacific island leaders are calling for urgent global climate action as United Nations pre-COP negotiations open, pressing larger emitters for stronger emission-cutting commitments ahead of the main climate summit. Low-lying island nations argue their survival depends on outcomes of the talks, as rising seas and extreme weather already threaten their communities.

A crucial pre-COP climate meeting is underway in Fiji, but only two leaders from outside the Pacific region are attending. The low turnout is drawing attention given the Pacific islands' outsized stake in climate change, as nations on the frontline of rising seas press bigger emitters for stronger commitments ahead of the UN climate summit.

UN pre-COP climate talks have opened in Fiji, where Pacific island leaders are calling for stronger global climate action. The leaders, whose nations face existential threats from rising seas, are pushing major emitters for deeper emissions cuts and more support ahead of the upcoming COP summit.

Fiji is calling for a 'just' climate transition and better climate financing at a pre-COP gathering ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit. As a Pacific island nation highly vulnerable to rising seas and extreme weather, Fiji is pressing wealthier countries to deliver fair funding and support so developing nations can move to low-carbon economies without bearing disproportionate costs.

Pacific island nations are taking a leading role at the 'pre-COP' climate summit, the preparatory meeting ahead of the main UN climate conference. The gathering puts the region's countries, among those most threatened by rising sea levels, at the centre of international climate negotiations as delegates work to build consensus before the full summit.

Tuvalu, the low-lying Pacific island nation, is hosting the Pre-COP climate negotiations as one of the countries most threatened by rising sea levels. Delegates and observers are focused on how a nation whose very existence is at risk is shaping the agenda ahead of the main UN climate summit, with attention on calls for stronger emissions cuts and support for vulnerable states.