United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

There is an urgent need to enhance innovative finance and establish a strong new financial goal for vulnerable countries, including Fiji, which are battling the growing threat of climate change.

This was highlighted by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Tonga yesterday.

Guterres states that developed countries must fulfill their financial commitments, including the pledge to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion a year by 2025.

The UN Secretary-General warns that without new adaptation measures, economic damage from coastal flooding could amount to trillions of dollars.

“Around 1 meter of future sea level rise is already locked in. However, its future scale, pace, and impact are not yet determined. That depends on the decisions we make now. Global leaders must act decisively to drastically reduce global emissions.”

Guterres also stresses the importance of enhancing early warning systems.