Workshop context

Pacific island countries helped secure the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. Keeping warming to this threshold is key to the survival of island nations threatened by climate change and sea level rise. Pacific countries are partnering with Australia and Türkiye to shape the agenda for COP31. This event takes place alongside a raft of pre-COP events in the region:

28 Sept - 4 Oct: Pacific Climate Week activities at various locations in Fiji
5-6 Oct: Tuvalu hosts special leaders' meeting
7-8 Oct: Official Pre-COP events in Fiji
5-8 Oct: Side events take place in Fiji

Limiting warming to 1.5°C now most likely requires temporary overshoot, followed by net-negative emissions to gradually reverse global warming. Overshoot pathways entail considerable risks and uncertainties and raise major equity, feasibility and governance challenges.

Workshop description

This academic workshop brings together leading scholars and key thinkers to consider what it will take to keep 1.5°C within reach, and to unpack Pacific expectations for COP31 and beyond. It is organised around COP31 priorities agreed by the Pacific and Australia:

1. Keeping 1.5°C Within Reach

2. Enhancing Access to Finance

3. Elevating the Ocean-Climate Nexus

4. Amplifying Pacific Leadership and Voices

The program will end with a high-level Talanoa attended by Pacific ministers and officials.

Speakers include the Tuvalu climate minister Dr Maina Talia; COP31 Envoy for Oceania Tina Stege; Vanuatu Minister of climate change Ralph Regenvanu; Director climate change at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Coral Pasisi; Director of Climate Change at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) Tagaloa Cooper; and leading Pacific scholars and civil society representatives.

There are registration options for in-person and online participation.

Program (please note updates may be made between now and the event)

9:00am - 9:30am	Arrivals / Welcome / Opening Prayer (Rev. James Bhagwhan)
9:30am - 10:00am	Keynote Address: Keeping 1.5°C within reach COP31 Envoy for Oceania Tina Stege
10:00am - 11:00am	Expert panel; The science of 1.5°C Unpacking the latest science on limiting warming to 1.5°C Prof Rupert Sutherland (Chair); Dr Morgan Wairiu; Assoc. Prof. Awnesh Singh; Dr Sindra Sharma; Tagaloa Cooper; Espen Ronneberg
11:00am - 11:15am	Tea break
11:15am - 12:30pm	International law and 1.5°C Pacific and Australian scholars consider obligations to limit warming to 1.5°C Dr Wesley Morgan (Chair); Prof. Jacqueline Peel; Vishal Prasad; Gillian Moon; Nathan Kennedy; Johanna Gusman; Assoc. Prof. Siobhan McDonnell.
12:30pm - 1:30pm	Lunch & launch of TUPU Pacific Research Grants
1:30pm - 2:30pm	Impacts: 1.5°C and oceans Leading thinkers consider impacts of ocean warming and sea-level rise Dr Tim Bryar (Chair); Peter Thomson; Dr Milla Vaha: Shiva Gounden: Kate Sheutze; Dr Liam Moore; Dr Tina Newport.
2:30pm - 2:45pm	Tea break
2:45 - 4:00pm	Adaptation and finance at 1.5°C Exploring adaptation and finance needs for a warming planet Prof Sue Harris-Rimmer (Chair); Te'o Lau Dr Viliame Lese; Prof Kathryn Bowen; Prof Christoph Nedopil Wang; Prof Wendy Steele; Emeline Siala Ilolahia.
4:00pm - 5:00pm	High Level Talanoa: Pacific expectations for COP31 and beyond Sala Dr George Carter (Chair); Dr Maina Talia (Tuvalu Minister for Climate Change); Ralph Regenvanu (Vanuatu Minister for Climate Change); Coral Pasisi; Fenton Lutunatabua; Noelene Nabulivou.
5:00pm - 6:00pm	Evening refreshments

This event is hosted by the COP Universities Alliance and University of the South Pacific, with other contributors including University of Melbourne (Melbourne Climate Futures); University of NSW (Institute for Climate Risk & Response) and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade.

Contact the host of 1.5°C to stay alive: Aligning finance, justice and community voices to keep 1.5°C in reach