International: Pacific
World leaders invited to see Pacific climate destruction before COP31
Tue 3 Mar 2026
The leaders and climate ministers of governments around the world will be invited to meetings on the Pacific islands of Fiji, Palau and Tuvalu in the months leading up to the COP31 climate summit in November.
What Vanuatu’s UN resolution on the ICJ climate opinion means for the planet
23 Feb 2026
Six months after a landmark climate ruling, the UN is being asked to act.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
8 Dec 2025
Storms in the Southern Ocean influence weather patterns across Australia, New Zealand and the globe.
Asia-Pacific faces ‘$500bn-a-year’ hit from rising seas if current policies continue
4 Dec 2025
Coastal flooding could bring $500bn of annual damages to the Asia-Pacific by the year 2100, if countries do not adapt to rising sea levels.
Pacific Islands rue lost chance to host COP climate summit
21 Nov 2025
Pacific islanders decried on Thursday a wasted chance to draw eyes to their climate troubles, after their bid to co-host next year's COP climate summit was brushed aside.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Familiar tensions emerge at the Pacific Islands Forum
26 Sep 2025
With China-Taiwan rivalry, China-Western competition, and big carbon emitters at odds with the islands on climate policy, there is plenty of tension to go around.
China, climate crisis and COP31: Five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum
16 Sep 2025
A key climate crisis funding treaty struck as Pacific leaders backed Australia’s bid for Cop31 despite some criticism of its environmental credentials.
Australian PM says Vanuatu security, climate agreement delayed
11 Sep 2025
PM Anthony Albanese says he won’t sign Nakamal Agreement in Vanuatu, despite recent high-level talks on the pact.
Pacific Islands leaders meet with climate change, security on agenda
9 Sep 2025
China and the US are barred from the Pacific Islands Forum as leaders gather for the annual summit in the Solomon Islands.
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
13 Aug 2025
Samoa, Fiji and Tonga among the worst affected amid warning the disease and others will become ‘more common and more serious’ as the planet warms.
Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa
27 Jun 2025
With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home.
Vanuatu criticises Australia for extending gas project while making COP31 bid
4 Jun 2025
Vanuatu’s climate minister has expressed disappointment over Australia’s decision to extend one of the world’s biggest liquefied natural gas projects and said it raises questions over its bid to co-host the COP31 summit with Pacific nations.
Pacific Island nations support China's Taiwan claims at high-profile foreign ministers' meeting
30 May 2025
Pacific nations have backed China's claim over Taiwan during a high-profile meeting, but have shied away from directly endorsing Beijing's push to "reunify" the democratically ruled island with the mainland.
We bear the brunt of the climate crisis. A Pacific COP could help shape the global response
27 May 2025
COMMENT: By hosting next year’s climate conference together with the Pacific, Australia would have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to both catalyse its own clean transition to a decarbonised economy and to elevate its relationship with the Pacific.
Nauru sells citizenship to help fund relocations as sea levels rise
27 Feb 2025
A new 'golden passport' scheme aims to raise funds to relocate people inland as climate change raises sea levels.
Funding for Pacific Islands to help manage tuna threatened by climate change
21 Feb 2025
The New Zealand government is stumping up a $25 million grant to help 14 Pacific Island nations manage one third of the world's tuna in the face of the climate crisis.
Leaders in the Pacific raise alarm over 'direct impact' of Trump's climate retreat and aid freeze
3 Feb 2025
Samoa's prime minister says US withdrawal from Paris climate agreement is 'very disappointing' and puts the survival of Pacific countries at greater risk.
Trawl the sea or mine for metals? Pacific nations wrestle with how to protect oceans - and livelihoods
16 Dec 2024
Palau plans to allow more fishing in its marine sanctuary, as countries across the region seek to balance conservation with economic needs.
Tuvalu: The disappearing island nation recreating itself in the metaverse
25 Nov 2024
Facing erasure due to climate change, the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu is digitally backing up everything from its houses to its trees as it endeavors to save whatever it can.
NZ adopts 'underwhelming' Commonwealth Ocean Declaration
30 Oct 2024
Commonwealth nations including Aotearoa and Pacific Island states have adopted the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration.
PNG will not attend UN COP29 summit: Foreign Minister Tkatchenko
30 Oct 2024
Tkatchenko said: “Papua New Guinea is making this stand for the benefit of all small island nations. We will no longer tolerate empty promises and inaction, while our people suffer the devastating consequences of climate change.”
Climate on the agenda at Commonwealth heads of govt meeting
22 Oct 2024
Climate change and the fate of global oceans will be in sharp focus at the meeting in Samoa, which will feature King Charles and possibly Elon Musk.
Oil spill from Manawanui shipwreck: recovery 'challenging'
8 Oct 2024
People living on the southern coast of Upolu have reported the strong smell of oil, highlighting concerns about a spill from New Zealand naval ship the HMNZS Manawanui.
NASA analysis shows irreversible sea level rise for Pacific islands
7 Oct 2024
In the next 30 years, Pacific Island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji will experience at least 15 centimeters of sea level rise, regardless of whether greenhouse gas emissions change in the coming years.
Bats and bees help ni-Vanuatu predict storms — but will climate change interfere?
18 Sep 2024
In disaster-prone Vanuatu, Indigenous ni-Vanuatu people traditionally rely on plants and animal species as indicators that predict extreme weather events and help them prepare.
World Bank head sees climate change devastation in Tuvalu
12 Sep 2024
Since taking on the role of World Bank President, Ajay Banga has visited every region where the World Bank operates.
Climate change leaves future of Pacific Islands tourism 'highly uncertain'
11 Sep 2024
The Pacific Islands are scattered across a vast area of ocean, with some of the clearest waters in the world, and pristine beaches and rainforests.
Three ways Pacific nations are adapting to climate change
10 Sep 2024
Vunidogoloa holds the unenviable title as the first community in the Pacific forced to relocate due to climate change.
A rare behind the scenes look at the Pacific power tussle
6 Sep 2024
Tonga’s sleepy capital Nuku’alofa was buzzing last week as leaders from across the Pacific region descended upon it for the annual Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting.
‘Immoral and unacceptable’: Tuvalu calls on Australia to set urgent deadline to end fossil fuels
30 Aug 2024
A day after agreement was ratified at the Pacific Island Forum, the country’s climate minister says ‘root cause of climate change’ must be addressed.
‘The wells are salty’: how the invading ocean is contaminating Vanuatu’s water
19 Aug 2024
As the climate crisis causes the Pacific to rise, the archipelago’s water is increasingly unsafe to drink.
How the small Pacific island nation of Vanuatu drastically cut plastic pollution
1 Jul 2024
With lagoons once choked by rubbish, pressure from the appalled community led the government to ban certain single-use products.
Tuvalu is being swallowed by the ocean. Its people face a difficult choice.
24 May 2024
In a suburban cream-brick church in Melbourne’s outer west, 5000 kilometres from a homeland facing extinction, the mellifluous voices of a congregation of Tuvaluans rise in song.
Widespread flooding in Fiji’s West region
21 Mar 2024
Unrelenting torrential downpours over the weekend in Fiji’s Western Division caused widespread flooding in the region.
The Marshall Islands aren’t giving in to sea level rise
5 Feb 2024
The precariously placed island nation has put together a comprehensive—if expensive—plan to survive sea level rise.
Flying hurts the planet but it’s vital for island tourism. Is there a greener way?
22 Dec 2023
Electric aviation and renewable energy among shifts needed for the Pacific to build a more sustainable tourist industry.
Pacific women are among the most vulnerable to extreme weather
24 Nov 2023
Roughly 90 kilometres from northern Bougainville, the Carteret Islands were the first place in the world to move people due to climate change-related sea level rise.
Australia boosts regional security influence with Tuvalu accord
13 Nov 2023
Australia has signed a security, climate change and migration accord with Tuvalu, which analysts say also highlights Canberra’s attempts to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
Can the PIF leaders’ meeting break the cycle after another climate fund setback?
8 Nov 2023
The PIF Leaders’ Meeting is an important chance to jolt the world into action on a climate Loss and Damage Fund after decades of fighting for justice.
Pasifika activists say climate inaction is a violation of human rights
6 Nov 2023
The Pacific Islands are on the frontline of climate change, with the future for many living there becoming increasingly uncertain.
Fiji’s first Indigenous-owned carbon credit project
13 Sep 2023
Fiji’s first verified forest carbon credit project is based in the Drawa rainforest on the country’s largest island, and has been earning income for its Indigenous landowners for five years.
Melanesian governments endorse call for a fossil fuel free pacific
29 Aug 2023
The Melanesian Spearhead Group released their resolve to address the climate crisis which is undermining human rights, destroying ecosystems and upending development.
China, Australia raise climate change, security at Pacific leaders summit
29 Aug 2023
Australia and China pledged more support for the Pacific Islands against climate change, as the leaders of four nations debate declare the strategic region "neutral" as China and the US jostle for influence.
Can Pacific nations shame Aus govt into stronger action on fossil fuels?
24 Aug 2023
The Australian Climate and Energy Minister is in Fiji to “discuss strengthened cooperation on climate action”.
Carbon finance in Papua New Guinea: Scam, savior, or seed of potential?
23 Aug 2023
The Pacific Island nation of Papua New Guinea makes up just 1 percent of the world’s land mass but hosts almost 7 percent of its biodiversity.
Climate change impacts increase in South-West Pacific
21 Aug 2023
Weather-related disasters and climate change impacts are unravelling the fabric of society in the South-West Pacific.
Fighting, not sinking: The Pacific plea for Australian climate action
15 Aug 2023
As heat records tumble and the sea level rises, Fijians on the front lines of the Pacific climate crisis want Australia, and other global emitters, to do more of the heavy lifting.
When deep-sea miners come a-courting
7 Aug 2023
As the Cook Islands embraces the burgeoning industry, deep-sea mining companies are becoming part of the community’s day-to-day.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
Repeal of endangerment finding is part of a systematic effort by US to dismantle climate policy
Tue 3 Mar 2026
COMMENT: Climate policy expert and founder of the NewClimate Institute in Cologne, Germany, explains what the step means for the US and for global climate diplomacy.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
Spain defends EU’s flagship climate law against attacks from other capitals
Tue 3 Mar 2026
Spain has come to the defense of the European Union's bedrock climate law, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warning fellow European leaders against dismantling the embattled Emissions Trading System.
Earth's heat to power 10,000 homes in renewable energy first for UK
Wed 4 Mar 2026
The UK's first geothermal power plant has been turned on, providing a completely new type of renewable electricity using hot water from underground.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
Solar-powered truck charging gains ground on South Africa’s freight corridors
Wed 4 Mar 2026
Africa’s freight corridors, long dominated by diesel trucks and constrained by unreliable power grids, are emerging as a new frontier in the global shift toward clean logistics, with solar-powered charging hubs designed specifically for heavy-duty electric trucks.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
Half of nations meet UN deadline for nature-loss reporting
Wed 4 Mar 2026
Half of nations have met a UN deadline to report on how they are tackling nature loss within their borders, Carbon Brief analysis shows. This includes 11 of the 17 “megadiverse nations”, countries that account for 70% of Earth’s biodiversity.
