Filipe Naikaso 
[File Photo]
The Permanent Secretary for Environment, stresses the critical role c could play in Fiji’s low-carbon development.
Drawing on experiences and lessons from Australia and other regional nations, Sivendra Michael states the potential benefits of carbon markets for small economies like Fiji.
He emphasizes that Fiji’s involvement in carbon markets is driven by more than just emissions reduction, it is an opportunity to secure climate financing for low-carbon development and to build resilience against the ongoing impacts of climate change.
“There are a couple of key stakeholders that we’ve been engaging with across many ministries as well as many private and public enterprises and we know that one of the things that really puts us to group the benefit in the best case scenario is to go back to our NDC implementation roadmap and our NDC investment plan.”
The PS notes that carbon markets, while initially associated with forestry projects, can also support renewable energy, technology transfer, and environmental restoration efforts.
Highlighting the challenges of tracking emissions, Michael says that the energy sector is the largest contributor to national emissions in Fiji, with agriculture, industry, and waste sectors also playing significant roles.
He acknowledges the need to strengthen Fiji’s monitoring, reporting, and verification systems (MRV) to better measure emissions reductions across various sectors.
