Pacific cannot afford climate action delay: Yauvoli
Fijian diplomat and global public policy expert Ambassador Amenatave Yauvoli said Pacific countries could not afford to treat climate overshoot as a distant or abstract threat.
Monday 05 October 2026 | 16:30
Fijian diplomat and global public policy expert Ambassador Amenatave Yauvoli with Tui Macuata Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere and Fiji Development Bank chief executive officer Filimone Waqabaca at the Pre-COP31 Investing in Natural Capital: The Pacific Opportunity event at the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa in Nadi.
Photo: Katherine Naidu.
Climate overshoot is already a reality for Pacific countries, with every fraction of a degree above the 1.5°C global temperature goal adding to risks that could persist for centuries.
Fijian diplomat and global public policy expert Ambassador Amenatave Yauvoli said Pacific countries could not afford to treat climate overshoot as a distant or abstract threat.
“Overshoot is not an abstract future scenario. It is not an abstract. It's real,” he said.
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Mr Yauvoli made the comments at the Pre-COP31 Investing in Natural Capital: The Pacific Opportunity event organised by Pacific Action for Climate Transitions (PACT) and hosted by the Fiji National University and Monash University at the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa in Nadi yesterday.
He said the issue was about how much additional risk accumulated, which losses could still be addressed or avoided, and whether countries and communities had enough time, finance and institutional capacity to prepare for changes that could persist long after global temperatures peaked.
Mr Yauvoli said exceeding 1.5°C would contribute to further sea-level rise because oceans, glaciers and ice sheets respond slowly, with impacts potentially continuing for centuries.
“Every fraction of a degree, and every year above 1.5, therefore matters.”
He said changes in the ocean would compound risks to ecosystems, food security, livelihoods and national economies across the Pacific.
Mr Yauvoli also stressed the deteriorating state of Pacific ecosystems, citing the 2025 State of Environment report, which found overall environmental conditions were fair to poor because of climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and unsustainable resource use.
He said investment in blue and green natural capital must be treated as a climate, economic and health imperative.
“The challenges are so enormous, and we cannot do it alone.”
Mr Yauvoli called for durable partnerships and greater access to finance from domestic, bilateral, multilateral and philanthropic sources.
He said Pacific countries needed timely action to prevent communities being locked into greater exposure as climate risks intensified.
