By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (Sept. 3, 2026) — “One point five to stay alive is not a slogan, it’s a lifeline,” Marshall Islands Climate Envoy Tina Stege told reporters this week, delivering a sobering assessment of a new UNEP report showing the world is on track to overshoot the 1.5-degree-Celsius warming threshold. Stege, who […]
Tag: Pacific Climate Change
CORAL REEFS AND A GLOBAL COMMITMENT: THE PACIFIC STANDS TOGETHER
Coral reefs are among the most precious resources in the Pacific. They feed families, protect coastlines from storms and waves, and hold cultural heritage. Yet these ecosystems face a growing threat from climate change and human pressures. Palau knows this intimately. Palau reefs are some of the most diverse and resilient in the world — […]
Australia pledges stronger support for Pacific priorities, renewable energy
By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (August 31, 2026) — “Australia’s commitment to the Pacific is unshakeable,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, reaffirming Canberra’s support for Pacific Islands Forum unity while emphasizing that regional solutions must remain Pacific-led. Responding to Island Times during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, Albanese said Australia […]
PIF Chair Whipps Says Partners Must Show How They Will Support Pacific Priorities, Renewable Energy Goals
By: L.N. Reklai KOROR, Palau (August 30, 2026)— As Pacific leaders confront climate change, rising energy costs and a changing regional partnership landscape, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. is urging countries seeking closer ties with the Pacific to demonstrate how they will help meet the region’s priorities rather than use the Pacific Islands Forum as […]
PIF 2026: Palau prepares for a Pacific meeting shaped by regional divisions
By: Ngeldei Tulop KOROR, Palau (August 13, 2026) — Palau is preparing to host Pacific leaders later this month as the region faces a series of political, security and economic questions that could test the Pacific Islands Forum’s ability to maintain consensus. The 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting is scheduled for Aug. 30 to […]
The Pacific Does Not Need Another Climate Eulogy
Jack Huang / Consultant Last week, I attended the SB64 climate meetings in Bonn on behalf of the Global SDGs Alliance (GSA). In the corridors, side events and technical dialogues, one fact became difficult to ignore: the Pacific is no longer asking the world merely to recognize its vulnerability. It is demanding a different architecture […]
