World leaders have been urged to extend a lifeline to Pacific nations under threat from rising sea levels and extreme weather at the COP31 summit in Turkey.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued the call to action on Wednesday at the opening of the two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit segment of the United Nations event.
Australia will lead negotiations at the annual climate talks and Mr Albanese said it would use the opportunity to highlight the plight of its regional neighbours.
“We sought this role because we wanted to speak for the people of the world who need urgent action, including those from our Pacific family,” he said.
“Their brave, resourceful people need us to act and they’re pleading for us to do so, politely but with absolute clarity.”
Mr Albanese cited the plea of aspiring doctor, 13-year-old Melelusi Sokotia from Tuvalu, who told leaders at the Pre-COP event that she and her peers wanted to remain safe in their island nation.
He also called for nations to support the Pacific Resilience Facility, launched in 2025, designed to raise $US500 million ($A726 million) for climate change and adaption projects.
“I plead with you to join our campaign to help the nations of the Pacific to confront a climate challenge that they certainly did not create,” he said.
The high-level leaders’ summit will feature addresses from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and recently re-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Outgoing United National Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also addressed attendees, calling for urgent action to address climate change including phasing out fossil fuels.
His call came months after the UN warned the world was on track to surpass 1.5C of warming within a few years and should act to limit the severity and duration of the overshoot.
“Our first climate duty is to tell the truth and the brutal truth is that the climate crisis is outrunning us,” he said.
“The last four years were the hottest ever and fossil fuel interests keep making a killing while killing our planet. This is the path of mutually assured destruction.”
Greater investments in renewable energy including solar power could help nations move away from coal, oil and gas, Mr Guterres said.
“Fossil fuels must go the way of the dinosaurs but that will not happen on its own,” he said.
“It’s time to kick the habit and end the fossil-fuel addiction.”
More than 92,000 people have registered to attend the summit in Antalya, which could be the largest COP to date.
