‘Going over the edge is no reason to give up’: UN calls for accelerated climate action ahead of COP31 summit

Ahead of the summit, leaders gathered to a pre-conference in the South Pacific this week to prepare for upcoming intensive negotiations and set the agenda.

UN Deputy Secretary General Aminah Muhammad joined senior government figures and leading policymakers in Tuvalu and Fiji – two Pacific island nations facing the brunt of rising sea levels and increasingly severe flooding – to outline the UN’s climate priorities.

“We must take immediate action to ensure every child born today on the Pacific Islands can grow, prosper, and live on the island they call home.,” he said at the pre-COP in Fiji.

‘Keeping 1.5 alive’

The top priority put forward by the UN Deputy Secretary General is “keeping 1.5 people alive” – referring to 2015 Paris Agreement targets to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

As the world heads towards surpassing the 1.5°C target, Mohammed urged countries not to give up.

“Going over the edge is not a reason to give up,” he said in Tuvalu. “He a call for speed – to make the overshoot as short and small as possible and bring the temperature back below 1.5 as quickly as possible.”

Reduce emissions, increase safety

He called on leaders to fulfill promises made at previous climate conferences, especially the 2023 Climate Change Conference in Dubai (COP28) where leaders agreed to shift away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy capacity, and double energy efficiency by 2030.

He highlighted the benefits of the transition to renewable energy by linking it directly to energy security.

“For the 655 million people who still live without electricity, clean electricity means a mother surviving childbirth with the lights on, and a child doing his homework after dark,” he said in Fiji.

“This frees the economy from price fluctuations caused by the global conflict over fossil fuels.”

Protect and adapt

At the same time, with the impacts of global warming already being felt, the UN Deputy Secretary-General also called for stronger adaptation and protection measures.

He urged countries to expand early warning systems, which help predict extreme weather events and alert people before disasters strike.

“The early warning a family received hours before the typhoon hit gave them time to escape,” he explained in Fiji.

These systems must be equipped with resilient infrastructure, secure water supplies and healthy ecosystems, he stressed, highlighting ongoing efforts in Pacific communities to strengthen coastal resilience and restore marine ecosystems.

Fair funding

To enable this transition, a fast, fair and clear funding scheme is essential.

He reiterated that developed countries must take the lead – pointing to Baku to Belem Road Map which aims to mobilize at least $1.3 trillion per year in climate finance for developing countries by 2035.

Most importantly, he emphasized that funding must be easy to access.

“Every dollar should go where it belongs. A ministry on a small island with a handful of staff should be able to get concession funding quickly and simply,” he said in Fiji.

“The UN’s message remains firm: Keep the Paris promise, fight harder, and make this tragic incident as small and short as possible,” he stressed.