Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad has warned that climate change poses the greatest threat to the security, stability and development of the Pacific region.
“Climate change is the greatest threat to the wellbeing and security of our communities … it is also an existential threat to the Pacific,” Prof Prasad said at the Pacific Regional and National Security Conference.
He warned that unless urgent action is taken, the development gains of the past 50 years could be lost.
“Based on current trajectories of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius plus of global warming … all of it could be lost,” he said.
Prof Prasad called for a massive increase in climate finance over the next decade, saying, “The adaptation window is closing fastest on the Pacific Islands … for many communities, it’s already too late.”
He also backed the Loss and Damage Fund but criticised the slow delivery of long-term commitments from developed countries.
“Pacific Island Countries neither have the fiscal space nor the resources nor the revenue base to respond to not only the loss and damage that has already occurred, but also to adapt to the existing climate emergencies,” he said.
Prof Prasad called for regional solidarity and faster mobilisation of climate finance “at speed and at scale” to support adaptation and resilience efforts.
