Pacific countries spend up to 13 per cent of their GDP on imported fuels. Meanwhile, decisions on climate finance and fossil fuels move through negotiations led by governments far from many communities most exposed to climate impacts. Australia is due to preside over COP31 negotiations, which Türkiye will host in Antalya in November.
"Across Asia and the Pacific, heat is intensifying multi-hazard risks, intersecting with food systems, public health, infrastructure and oceans, and placing new pressures on health and livelihoods," said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. "Early warning and early action save lives when alerts are timely, messages are trusted and last-mile delivery reaches the vulnerable."
Who Sets the Terms
Up to 3,000 participants are expected in Fiji in the coming days for a Pre-COP31 preparatory meeting supported by Australia and Pacific partners. A leaders' summit is also planned in Tuvalu. The meetings aim to amplify small island states' voices and consider how quickly action must advance to protect countries that contribute relatively little to global emissions.
The world is nearing the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C global warming threshold as climate impacts intensify across the Asia-Pacific, from Bangkok and towns in China and Nepal to the Pacific Ocean, The Diplomat reported in an article by Trang Nguyen dated October 5, 2026.
At COP31, Australia and Türkiye are expected to advance climate finance set out in the COP29 New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance and work to include a phase-out of fossil fuels in negotiation texts. But the consensus machinery faces resistance: the New Delhi Declaration, endorsed at a BRICS leaders' meeting in New Delhi last month, mentioned climate 34 times while stating that "fossil fuels will still play an important role in the world's energy mix, particularly for emerging markets and developing economies."
BRICS, founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to 11 countries and accounts for 50 percent of the global population. Reaching absolute consensus among 198 countries on phasing out fossil fuels is difficult, especially as the U.S. withdraws from the Paris Agreement.
The Cost Lands Locally
Electrification is growing in China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. Pairing it with renewable electricity could cut import bills and improve environmental outcomes. Solar-powered cold storage in remote and island communities could also reduce post-harvest losses and electricity costs for farmers and fishermen in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Replacing diesel generation with solar, batteries and other renewable systems could improve Pacific energy security, but it requires upfront investment. COP31 could connect investment, technology and development finance with policy support; businesses could invest in renewable-powered electrification, while concessional finance and development assistance could help communities replace aging, expensive equipment and build resilience.
Australia says its goal for COP31 is to support the best possible outcomes for the Pacific, including mobilizing finance through initiatives such as the Pacific Resilience Facility. Nguyen wrote that Pacific countries shouldn't be presented only as vulnerable nations needing assistance: their economies, food systems, cultures and identities are connected to natural capital and security.
Who Funds Protection
The Bezos Earth Fund announced more than $25 million in new ocean-conservation grants across the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu. The projects aim to support protection and sustainable management across more than 625,000 square miles of ocean as the fund advances its $100 million Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity pledge. Awards under that commitment now total $63.3 million, and the initiative aims to help protect at least 30% of the region's waters by 2030.
Papua New Guinea expects to use funding to create its first large offshore marine protected area, while Tonga is expanding protected areas. Other support will go to the Cook Islands' Marae Moana ocean park and habitat-protection planning in Kiribati and Vanuatu. Marine protected areas can impose different restrictions; the most protected zones can prohibit fishing, mining and other extraction.
Bloomberg reported that Bezos pledged $10 billion through the fund in 2020, with the money intended for distribution by the end of 2030. The fund has awarded about $2.4 billion, leaving approximately $7.6 billion to distribute. The grants arrive as a July report by the World Meteorological Organization said ocean warming and acidification were affecting marine ecosystems and local economies. In 2025, the region had its second-warmest year on record. Marine heatwaves disrupted ecosystems and fisheries, with wider effects on food systems, infrastructure, public health and livelihoods.