Majority of the 200-plus approved foreign investment projects currently being implemented in Fiji have factored in climate change into its planning and execution.
Investment Fiji chief executive officer Kamal Chetty told this newspaper that overall, foreign investors coming into Fiji’s, and the Pacific’s, investment space have, in some form, looked at greening their projects.
He cited examples of investors opting for their own solar and have factored in climate change in the planning stage to mitigate its future impact.
In terms of renewable, he said there was a considerable number of projects that were concentrating in energy projects.
“If you look at the global investment space, the investor is already moving towards that (green) space. People are considering in their planning the climate change impact,” Mr Chetty said in an interview with this newspaper.
“And especially if you are coming to the Pacific and investing, I’m talking about just the foreign investors here, it’s already at the back of the mindset because the Pacific is the most impacted space in the world for climate change.
“They definitely have that consideration that in future, how they can improve or continue to implement things that will allow them to be safe or continue to protect their investment.
“A lot of projects nowadays take into account the climate factor into their project planning.”
Mr Chetty said having a consistent policy was key to attracting investments in certain sectors.
“If you want to continue to attract investment in certain green spaces or certain climate-relevant investments, it’s important for you to have consistent policy.”
He said the green and blue economy was the future, especially in the Pacific.
In terms of the climate fund, Mr Chetty said “we need to ensure that we take advantage of what’s available globally, that’s what important”.
