International: Pacific
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.
French leader goes green to woo pacific islands
31 Jul 2023
France's President Emmanuel Macron stripped off his suit jacket to wander the wild forests of Papua New Guinea on a green-tinted charm offensive in the South Pacific.
Understanding “loss and damage” from climate change across the Indo-Pacific
25 Jul 2023
A concept that will become ever more familiar – in the courts, too – with more action needed to avoid irreversible consequences of climate change.
Beekeeping in Solomon Islands to diversify incomes and fight climate change
11 Jul 2023
In a remote community in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands, 10,000 bees have recently taken up residence and local keepers-in-training are buzzing to get to work.
Nauru prepares to mine deep seas in big climate controversy
11 Jul 2023
Nauru sees rare earth metals as key to the green transition. But mining them could threaten vital marine ecosystems.
Pacific islands, in spotlight, to push climate change in South Korea summit
29 May 2023
Pacific Island leaders will meet South Korea's President in Seoul on Monday, their third summit in a week with a large economy as the region seeks stronger action on climate change.
Rich countries not doing enough says Pacific Island leaders
17 May 2023
Pacific Island leaders are criticizing rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects.
Report highlights climate change danger to children's education in Pacific
24 Apr 2023
Like many mothers, Janet Iaticknu gets up in the morning and helps her children get ready for school.
Revisiting the Green Climate Fund in the Pacific
19 Apr 2023
Global climate funds have faced much criticism for failing to deliver fast and flexibly enough to match the urgency of the climate crisis, especially for the world’s most climate vulnerable countries.
'No one was prepared’: Vanuatu feels cost of climate crisis
19 Apr 2023
On the waterfront in Port Vila, Mark Philips runs an adventure tours business.
Pacific leaders call for a global end to coal, oil and gas
20 Mar 2023
Leaders of six Pacific nations are calling for a global phaseout of fossil fuels that is “fair, fast, and financed” and are making an ambitious plan for a fossil fuel free Pacific.
Vanuatu hit by successive climate crisis fuelled cyclones
6 Mar 2023
New Zealand is sending much-needed humanitarian supplies to Vanuatu after two destructive cyclones and an earthquake within two days have impacted nearly 80% of the population.
Vanuatu gathers support for UN climate justice statement
3 Mar 2023
More than 100 countries have backed a Pacific island’s attempt to seek accountability for the climate crisis at the world’s top court
Pacific countries urged to collaborate for climate-resilient future
27 Feb 2023
Fiji President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere has called on Pacific countries to work together and hold each other accountable to agreements made at the 2023 Early Childhood Development Forum.
Labor accused of ‘gaslighting’ Australians on climate crisis as fossil fuel projects keep getting approved
Mon 9 Jun 2025
‘They offer sympathy and then just go and approve massive fossil fuel projects anyway,’ one advocate says.
EPA to propose rolling back climate rule for power plants Wednesday
Thu 12 Jun 2025
It marks an escalation in President Donald Trump’s effort to purge climate initiatives from the federal government.
China's approvals of coal power plants grow after 2024 decline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
China approved 11.29 gigawatts of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of 2024.
Ocean current ‘collapse’ could trigger ‘profound cooling’ in northern Europe – even with global warming
Fri 13 Jun 2025
A “collapse” of key Atlantic ocean currents would cause winter temperatures to plunge across northern Europe, overriding the warming driven by human activity.
Oil giant funds computer game that promotes fossil fuels to schoolchildren
Mon 9 Jun 2025
Equinor, the company looking to develop the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, has funded a computer game aimed at UK school children, promoting the idea that fossil fuels are part of a green energy mix.
'This is classic climate change': Canada's Saskatchewan faces worst wildfire season in decades
4 Jun 2025
There have been 207 wildfires this year as of Friday – 40 more than in the same period last year.
Carbon capture projects promise a climate fix – and a fossil fuel lifeline
Wed 11 Jun 2025
Governments across Southeast Asia are looking at carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a way to meet climate targets.
I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard
13 May 2025
Antarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth – frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?
Death toll from Nigeria flash floods rises to 151
3 Jun 2025
At least 151 people in central Nigeria are now known to have died following flash floods that destroyed homes and displaced thousands of residents earlier this week.
Pará’s Amazon forest carbon deal in doubt as prosecutors move to block it
Fri 13 Jun 2025
The Brazilian state’s contract with foreign governments and companies has run into trouble over concerns it was premature and agreed without consulting Indigenous communities.
UN University report warns against carbon credits from REDD, tree planting, and improved forest management
Fri 13 Jun 2025
But the report stops short of recommending banning the trade in carbon temporarily stored in trees.
