Pre-COP

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday a top climate meeting being held in Fiji and Tuvalu next month will "elevate" the global challenge, despite only a handful of leaders so far confirming they will attend. Speaking on the sidelines of the Pacific Island Forum in Koror, Palau, Albanese denied he had been unrealistic in expecting world leaders to fly in for the gathering, one month before the major UN-sponsored climate summit COP31 in Turkey.

"We always anticipated when it comes to pre-COP events, there normally aren't lots of leaders at it," Albanese said. The October 5-8 pre-COP talks in Fiji, which include a leaders' retreat in low-lying Tuvalu, will provide a focus on the impact of global warming in the Pacific region.

Handful confirmed

Fijian Foreign Minister Sakiasi Ditoka revealed that only a handful of countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Cape Verde, Thailand, Maldives and East Timor, had so far confirmed their attendance. Australia's climate minister and president of the COP31 negotiations, Chris Bowen, said the guest list was "not yet finalised".

Tuvalu has welcomed the list of attendees, with its minister for climate change, Maina Talia, saying it "exceeded what we expected". Tuvalu, a string of isles lying roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is one of the South Pacific nations most immediately threatened by climate change. Australia is a major producer of fossil fuels and one of the world's largest exporters of coal.