More than 20 nations have committed to "lead from the front" in setting new, tougher goals by 2020 to cut greenhouse gas emissions under the Paris climate agreement.
They also welcomed a decision by the United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres to host a summit in September 2019 to review the fight against global warming since almost 200 governments signed up in 2015 for the Paris accord.
Officials in the Marshall Islands blamed climate change for severe flooding in the Pacific nation's capital Majuro. Photo: AFP
In a statement issued by the Marshall Islands the 23 nations said they commit to exploring the possibilities for stepping up their own ambitions and call on other countries to join them.
Reuters reports the governments also said in a "Declaration for Ambition" that they would encourage long-term strategies for low emissions and new funds and investment in projects to help goals of the Paris Agreement.
The statement comes in light of a UN report by leading climate scientists, due for publication in October, which says warming is set to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the strictest goal under the Paris Agreement, by around 2040 unless governments take "rapid and far-reaching" measures.