In a year of record-breaking heat, Australia and Pacific leaders meet to sharpen climate goals

In a year marked by record-breaking heatwaves and devastating natural disasters, leaders from Australia, Germany, Mexico, and Thailand are convening in Fiji and Tuvalu to address climate change. This pre-COP31 meeting aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by small island nations due to rising sea levels. The gathering is a preliminary step towards the annual United Nations climate summit, COP31, set to take place in Turkey in November.

The unique arrangement of hosting these discussions in Fiji and Tuvalu, rather than Turkey, marks a compromise between Australia and Turkey. Australia and Fiji have agreed to jointly host and lead the Pacific climate meetings, while Turkey will host the main UN summit in Antalya. Turkey's Environment Minister, Murat Kurum, will serve as COP31 President-Designate, while Australia's Minister for Climate and Energy, Chris Bowen, will lead the negotiations.

This unprecedented co-hosting arrangement has sparked debates about power distribution between the two roles. Turkey will be responsible for ensuring compliance with UN procedural rules and setting the agenda, while Australia will manage the negotiations, leveraging its political and technical leadership. However, the lack of clear guidelines for resolving disagreements between the two nations may lead to delays or even a stalemate in decision-making.

The core focus of the November climate negotiations will revolve around implementing countries' existing commitments, marking the beginning of the next cycle of the global stocktake. This process evaluates progress made in addressing climate change, with the aim of bridging the gap between current policies and the Paris Agreement's temperature goals.

Climate finance, particularly for loss and damage, is expected to be a contentious issue, given the increasing frequency and severity of climate disasters in vulnerable nations like Nepal.