Fiji’s Minister for Climate today urged developed countries to support a “just transition” to renewable energy, helping the states most exposed to the consequences of climate change.
Lynda Tabuya demanded “commitments by developed countries regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions” and said she wanted “a just transition away from fossil fuels.”
The minister spoke to journalists on the archipelago, in Nadi, where a preparatory meeting for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP31) began, to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20.
Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia host this pre-conference event through Thursday to raise awareness of the priorities of the small Pacific island states, particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather events.
The Fijian Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, urged, on the eve of the meeting, that climate finance reach the communities that need it “now” and as “an act of justice, not charity.”
Fiji also hopes to secure commitments of around 500 million dollars (about 442 million euros) to strengthen the resilience of Pacific nations.
The region also advocates maintaining the target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century relative to pre-industrial levels, and, in addition, the strengthening of funding for adaptation and mitigation of losses and damages, and placing the oceans at the center of the negotiations.
Hours earlier, also in Nadi, the UN Climate Change Secretariat Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, warned of the danger of extreme heat during pregnancy and childbirth, advocating measures to protect pregnant women and newborns against the effects of global warming.
In a speech, Stiell stated that “staying cool” is not an option when there is no cool place to go, underscoring that maternal and neonatal health must be included in national climate adaptation plans and in strategies to combat heat waves.
The UN official spoke at an event organized by Wellcome, an international foundation that funds health research and programs, as part of an initiative to promote protective measures for pregnant women and newborns against the effects of global warming.
Stiell presented new data from a Wellcome survey of 1,000 maternal health professionals in Australia, Brazil, India, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe, in which 73% reported that heat-related cases or complications have risen in the last five years.
According to the survey’s conclusions, 81% of health professionals are concerned about the growing risk of heat to maternal, fetal and neonatal health.
