Overview:
Pacific climate envoys are urging countries at COP31 to keep the 1.5°C warming limit at the center of global climate action, warning that exceeding the target must not weaken efforts to protect vulnerable island communities.
By Elilai Rengiil
ANTALYA, Türkiye – Pacific climate envoys called on countries at COP31 on November 9 to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal as the “North Star” of global climate ambition, saying the prospect of exceeding it must strengthen efforts to limit warming, not weaken them.
Speaking at a press conference on the opening day of the talks, Pacific Climate Envoy and climate negotiator Kristina Eonemto Stege said countries must act to keep any rise above the goal as small and brief as possible and establish a path back to 1.5°C.
“In an overshoot context, it means creating a pathway back to 1.5 degrees to ensure that the expected overshoot is as small and as brief as possible,” Stege said.
Overshoot refers to warming exceeding the temperature goal before returning to it. Stege said the response must be guided by science and backed by action and support for vulnerable communities.
“At COP31, we are calling on all countries to reaffirm 1.5 degrees Celsius as the North Star of global climate ambition, to follow the science, and to translate commitments into action and support.”
For Pacific communities, she said, the stakes are their homes and livelihoods, not simply temperature figures.
“It’s about people, it’s about communities, it’s about the places we call home,” Stege said.
The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Climate Report, released on the first day of COP31, puts the global average temperature for January–September 2026 at 1.47°C above the 1850–1900 average. It says 2026 is on track to be among the four warmest years on record.
The report says a very strong El Niño had developed by late August and is forecast to continue into early 2027. El Niño typically raises annual global average temperatures by about 0.1°C to 0.2°C, and the WMO expects the full-year temperature figure for 2026 to exceed the January–September average.
Stege said communities in the Marshall Islands were already experiencing worsening conditions.
“The El Nino this year is really making those challenges (climate impacts) even more present in reality, with high winds and waves battering our coast on a daily basis,” she said.
Stege is one of three Pacific Climate Envoys setting out regional priorities at the talks, with her focus on keeping the 1.5°C goal central to negotiations.
Papua New Guinea’s Ruel Yamuna is focusing on access to climate finance and ensuring funding reaches the Pacific’s most vulnerable communities. Fijian MP and former Global Climate Champion Inia Seruiratu is serving as envoy for the ocean, advancing ocean protection and coastal resilience.
Stege said delivering on the temperature goal requires governments to turn pledges into practical measures.
“The solutions do exist, what we need now is political will and the urgency to deliver,” she said.