Aboard a Gaualofa, a traditional Polynesian canoe, one of only seven of its type in the world, Leota Fitimaula Donna Aiono Le Tagaloa-Ioane looks out into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, as she runs a workshop teaching and passing on knowledge of her Samoan maritime legacy.
For Aiono Le Tagaloa-Ioane, the Samoan Voyaging Society’s President, reviving and adapting her seafaring heritage is the way to navigate and mitigate the impacts of climate change; in doing so, conserving her island’s culture and environment.
“To go back to beaches and places where you've been, and then to see the beaches gone... we're seeing it all around us,” Aiono Le Tagaloa-Ioane said.
“To be resilient, to learn how to adapt, that's always been part of who we are as people.”
Samoa, with a population of about 218,000, will be the first Pacific small island state to host the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), putting the spotlight on climate change.
A World Meteorological Organization report earlier this year found that ocean temperatures in the South West Pacific are increasing at up to three times the rate worldwide, while sea level rise in the region is outstripping the global average.
Over half of the Commonwealth's members are small states, many of them island nations facing the threat of rising sea levels caused by climate change. The leaders are expected to make a declaration on protecting the ocean, with climate change a key topic for discussion.
Having been raised on the beaches of Samoa, climate activist Brianna Fruean has grown up seeing the worsening and varying impacts of climate change – coral bleaching, loss of livelihoods, shoreline erosion – and has brought that message to climate conferences in New York and Glasgow. She said it was important for world leaders to see the frontlines of climate change.
“I would say it's alarming the fact, there's so much talk about climate action, but yet there's still so much inaction,” Fruean said, who also pointed to the contradictions coming out from big emitting countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, and their commitments to the Paris agreement.
“You have a look at their plans of expansion of coal, oil and gas. Their expansion plans don't make sense with their commitment to the 1.5 degree,” she said.
President of Samoa’s Conservation Society, James Atherton, said that climate talks need to move beyond rhetoric and focus on action.
“I think it's hard for Western countries to actually dodge action when small countries like Samoa are doing so much themselves,” he said.
COP29's venue buzzed with cultural displays as countries set up pavilions offering unique experiences. Delegates and visitors lined up to sample free beverages, watch dance performances, and engage in virtual reality games.
Countries at COP29 in Baku approved carbon credit quality standards, paving the way for a U.N.-backed global carbon market to launch next year. The move aims to fund emission-reducing projects, though critics argue it lacks protections for impacted communities.
UN Environment Programme reveals that climate change is severely affecting the Caucasus region, with glacier retreat and shrinking freshwater supplies threatening communities
A new report highlights escalating health risks from climate change, with more dangerous temperatures and worsening conditions, while calling for greater recognition of health in climate negotiations.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has stated that the goal to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 is within reach. Strong investments in solar, wind, and other renewable sources are driving rapid growth.
The agreement, finalised at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, establishes that developed countries will contribute $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist poorer countries in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Delegates at COP29 in Baku push for consensus on climate finance targets, with calls for urgent action to address the global climate crisis as negotiations intensify.
Short-term rental owners in Croatia protested against proposed tax hikes, claiming the measures unfairly target low-income earners and threaten their livelihoods. The government argues the changes aim to tackle a housing crisis driven by tourism demand.
Global tensions rise at COP29 in Baku as developing nations reject the proposed $300B climate finance goal, demanding at least $500B annually to address urgent needs. Negotiations face a breaking point as blocs threaten to walk out over unmet demands.
Negotiations at COP29 in Baku face a critical impasse as sharp divisions over climate finance and fossil fuel commitments threaten progress.
"Come up with the video in its full form," demands the COP29 CEO, Elnur Soltanov, in an exclusive interview with AnewZ. The chief executive has broken his silence on the claims he was using his position to organise potential fossil fuel deals.
The United Nations COP29 climate change conference in Baku seeks $1 trillion annually to help vulnerable nations tackle climate change, as political tensions and Argentina’s withdrawal overshadow talks.
The agreement, finalised at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, establishes that developed countries will contribute $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist poorer countries in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Delegates at COP29 in Baku push for consensus on climate finance targets, with calls for urgent action to address the global climate crisis as negotiations intensify.
Global tensions rise at COP29 in Baku as developing nations reject the proposed $300B climate finance goal, demanding at least $500B annually to address urgent needs. Negotiations face a breaking point as blocs threaten to walk out over unmet demands.
Hundreds of activists marched in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday, urging stronger global action against plastic waste ahead of next week’s U.N. talks on a legally binding plastic pollution treaty. Participants called for reduced production and showcased creative protests using discarded plastic.
The agreement, finalised at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, establishes that developed countries will contribute $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist poorer countries in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Delegates at COP29 in Baku push for consensus on climate finance targets, with calls for urgent action to address the global climate crisis as negotiations intensify.
Short-term rental owners in Croatia protested against proposed tax hikes, claiming the measures unfairly target low-income earners and threaten their livelihoods. The government argues the changes aim to tackle a housing crisis driven by tourism demand.
Global tensions rise at COP29 in Baku as developing nations reject the proposed $300B climate finance goal, demanding at least $500B annually to address urgent needs. Negotiations face a breaking point as blocs threaten to walk out over unmet demands.
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