Cop31

Ministers and world leaders from more than 50 countries are meeting in Nadi, Fiji, for the Pacific Pre-COP31 climate talks. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka opened the gathering by saying the science has spoken and that doing nothing on climate change is no longer a neutral position. The Pacific meeting is expected to build momentum ahead of the COP31 negotiations.

Amnesty International has called on world leaders ahead of COP31 to support Pacific nations through concrete action rather than speeches, as the region faces severe impacts from rising seas and extreme weather. The organisation says Pacific communities need real commitments on emissions cuts and climate finance, not just rhetoric at the negotiating table.

Chitose Noguchi, the UN Development Programme's Resident Representative, delivered a speech at a COP31 simulation event, where participants model the UN climate negotiations ahead of the real summit. The address, shared by the United Nations Development Programme, highlights the agency's efforts to engage delegates and young negotiators in climate diplomacy and preparedness for the upcoming climate conference.

The World Health Organization has joined Pre-COP31, the preparatory talks ahead of the COP31 climate summit, to press for climate policies that deliver concrete benefits for public health. The organisation is arguing that cutting emissions and adapting to warming should be framed not only as environmental goals but as measures that protect lives and health systems.

Pacific Island leaders are pressing Australia to curb its fossil fuel expansion ahead of pre-COP31 talks in Fiji. With Australia expected to co-host COP31, leaders from climate-vulnerable island nations argue new coal and gas projects undermine regional climate goals and their countries' survival, raising pressure ahead of negotiations.

Ahead of the COP31 climate summit, Amnesty International Australia is calling on the Australian government to halt fossil fuel expansion and better protect environmental defenders. The group argues that showing genuine climate leadership in the Asia-Pacific requires more than diplomatic hosting — it demands cutting new coal and gas projects and safeguarding activists who face threats for their work.

Fiji is calling for increased climate finance as preparations get underway for the COP31 climate summit. The Pacific island nation, which faces acute risks from rising seas and extreme weather, wants wealthier countries to deliver stronger funding commitments for adaptation and loss-and-damage support. The appeal highlights the growing pressure from vulnerable states on major emitters ahead of the next round of global climate negotiations.

Fiji is hosting Pacific island leaders in a gathering focused on oceans and the blue economy, held ahead of the COP31 climate summit that Türkiye will host. The talks highlight how Pacific nations are coordinating their positions on marine resources and climate impacts before the global negotiations. Ocean protection and sustainable economic use of seas are central themes for the region ahead of the summit.

UNESCO is spotlighting education for climate action at COP31, arguing that teaching and learning are central to helping societies understand and respond to climate change. The organisation is calling on governments to make climate education a core part of school curricula and national climate commitments discussed at the conference.

Climate Home News argues that as co-host of COP31, Australia should use its platform to make polluters pay for climate damage. The call puts pressure on Canberra to champion loss-and-damage funding and stronger polluter-pays mechanisms during its presidency role. Debate is likely over whether Australia, a major fossil fuel exporter, will push that agenda at the UN climate summit.

UNESCO is attending the COP31 climate conference with a focus on placing education at the centre of global climate action. The organisation argues that teaching climate literacy and equipping learners with green skills are essential to long-term responses to the climate crisis, urging governments to embed education in national climate plans and commitments emerging from the talks.

Members of the European Parliament's environment committee have set out their priorities ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey. The announcement outlines what European lawmakers want from the UN climate negotiations, setting the stage for the EU's negotiating position at the talks.

An open letter from a faith-based organisation calls on European leaders to take a leading role at the upcoming COP31 climate summit. The appeal frames climate action as a moral and ethical duty, urging the EU to push for stronger commitments in international negotiations. It adds a religious voice to growing pressure on Europe to show climate ambition.

Members of the European Parliament's environment committee are calling on the European Union to back a faster phaseout of fossil fuels ahead of the COP31 climate summit. The lawmakers want the bloc to push for a stronger timetable on moving away from coal, oil and gas, sharpening the EU's negotiating position before the talks.

Regional leaders, waste workers and city representatives are urging negotiators at COP31 to redirect climate finance away from waste incineration and instead fund community-led methane reduction solutions. The coalition argues that burning waste undermines emissions goals and that decentralised, locally managed methane projects offer a more effective and equitable path, calling on governments to reflect this in the summit's finance decisions.

Climate advocates and commentators are calling on the next UN climate summit, COP31, to do more to address emissions from producing and using materials such as cement, steel and plastics, which are among the hardest sectors to decarbonise. The argument, made in commentary from Climate Home News, is that current negotiations focus heavily on energy while material use has largely escaped serious commitments. Participants in the climate debate are pushing for stronger targets on the built environment and industrial materials to be placed on the summit agenda.