Fiji pushes for affordable power and climate finance at COP31

Affordable electricity must reach every household, Fiji’s Head of Delegation to COP31, Lynda Tabuya, says, as she called for solar power to help families cut their bills and improve children’s access to education.

Speaking at the climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, this week, the Minister for Information, Environment and Climate Change said Fiji wanted a world where “power is free to all”.

She said reliable electricity could allow children in Kadavu, Lau and Lomaiviti to study after dark. Fiji is working with the International Solar Alliance to install solar panels on Public Rental Board buildings, with the aim of reducing tenants’ power bills.

At a panel with former US Senator John Kerry, Ms Tabuya urged delegates to measure COP31’s success by what it delivered to communities.

“Let us ensure that the outcomes of COP31 are measured not only by commitments made, but by the tangible results delivered on the ground in our communities,” she said.

She also highlighted the gap between climate finance pledges and money reaching Pacific countries. At a Blue Pacific finance panel, Ms Tabuya said more than US$5 billion of the over US$16 billion committed to the Pacific since the Paris Agreement remained undisbursed.

Permanent Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Dr Sivendra Michael said Fiji wanted climate finance in grants, not loans.

“Countries should not have to borrow to recover from a crisis they did not cause,” he said.

Ms Tabuya said Fiji was also dealing with bushfires and low water levels linked to El Niño, leaving people “between a rock and a hard place”.

At a climate mobility session, Dr Michael said that when relocation could not be avoided, communities must move with dignity and maintain their connection to the vanua.

Fiji, as chair of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, also convened a coordination meeting chaired by Dr Michael to unite Pacific positions.