Pacific leaders called this Thursday at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31 or Climate Summit) for international support for the "Blue Pacific Continent" to finance responses led by their communities in the face of rising sea levels, ocean warming, and extreme weather events.
"We don't need to be saved; we need investment on our own terms," they demanded from Antalya (Turkey), where the international conference will run until November 20.
Specifically, they propose protecting the ocean through community conservation and sustainable practices, financing adaptation and resilience, and promoting clean energy with training and local ownership. They also call for respecting regional leadership and indigenous and customary stewardship, protecting sovereignty and maritime rights, and rapidly reducing global emissions.
This request comes after the adoption of the Taku Pakasoa Declaration at the Pacific Pre-COP on October 6, which set as priorities keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach, facilitating access to climate finance, strengthening community resilience, and protecting the ocean.
It also coincides with the premiere at COP31 of the documentary Pacific Rising, which highlights local adaptation initiatives and asserts the region's leadership in defining its climate future. The 75-minute film, produced by Wild Pacific Media and narrated by Samoan-Australian actress Catherine Laga'aia, shows how Pacific communities combine ancestral knowledge, science, and ingenuity to confront climate change, from raising land to protect homes in Tuvalu to adapting crops to drier conditions in Tonga.
The documentary also highlights the importance of the Pacific Ocean, which covers 46% of the world's ocean surface and plays a fundamental role in regulating the climate. In this regard, it notes that phenomena such as El Niño show how variations in Pacific temperatures can trigger global effects, such as extreme heat, droughts, and floods, with consequences for food security, ecosystems, and the economy.
Seychelles denounces that climate change threatens its existence
For his part, the Vice President of Seychelles, Alix Sebastien Pillay, warned today at the Antalya Climate Summit that the climate crisis threatens the existence of his country and compromises its national security, economic stability, and sustainable development, as reported by DPA.
"(Climate change) is a fundamental issue for our national security, our economic stability, our sustainable development, and our very survival," said Pillay. In turn, the leader of the islands located in the Indian Ocean denounced the "disproportionate" costs borne by the most vulnerable countries, despite their minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.