Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Prof. Biman Prasad has sounded a stark warning that climate change is the “cruellest and harshest” threat facing the Pacific, already fuelling instability, internal displacement, and regional insecurity.
Speaking during the Political Leaders on Climate Security panel at the Pacific Regional and National Security Conference in Suva, Prof. Prasad said the region is preparing for climate impacts “on a war footing,” with little time left for meaningful global intervention.
“Climate change is the single greatest threat to our people, our peace, and our Pacific way of life. It is the most direct, the cruellest, and the harshest outcome that we are preparing for,” he said.
Prof. Prasad issued an urgent call for scaled-up climate finance, noting that while COP29 delivered a new global climate finance target, delivery has been “painfully slow.”
“We can adapt now—over the next decade—but that window is closing fast. For some communities, it’s already too late. Loss and Damage finance is not a luxury; it is a necessity,” he said.
He emphasised the need for sustained and predictable funding to support Pacific efforts in adaptation, resilience, and relocation, warning that the region is already being forced to divert limited resources to rebuild after every climate disaster. “The fiscal burden from rebuilding roads, ports, water systems, and housing after each climate event is immense. This cannot be our new normal,” Prasad said, accusing the international community of contributing “less than 10 percent of its share—if even that.”
To address the financing gap, Prof. Prasad called for the establishment of a regional development bank and reaffirmed Fiji’s support for the Pacific Resilience Facility—a regional mechanism designed to boost investment in disaster preparedness and climate adaptation.
Prof. Prasad also endorsed Australia’s bid to co-host COP31 in partnership with the Pacific, arguing it would force world leaders to confront the human cost of climate change. He asked:
“To those fighting to keep COP31 away from the Pacific – what are you afraid of? Are you so afraid to look at the Pacific’s displaced people in the eye and say you are sorry?”
Reinforcing the importance of regional cooperation, Prof. Prasad advocated for a visa-free Blue Pacific, coordinated relocation policies, marine protection strategies, and climate-resilient development. “There can be no peace in the Pacific without climate risk being mainstreamed across everything we do – on land and across our seas,” he said, pledging support for the Ocean of Peace initiative.
The Pacific Regional and National Security Conference brings together political leaders, regional experts, and security specialists to tackle the rising threat climate change poses to the region’s stability.
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