The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor says she is alarmed by the latest global temperature data.
The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor. Photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana
Last week the World Meteorological Organization confirmed the average global temperature increase had passed 1.1 degree Celsius.
Dame Meg said the latest report reaffirmed what the science had been saying, that with the current trend, it was almost certain the world would pass the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold as early as 2030.
She says even at 1.1 degree Celsius, the Pacific region was already dealing with the catastrophic impacts of climate change and disasters.
The Secretary General stressed that global action this year was critical to start reversing the climate change trends.
She said the discussion on the Blue Pacific 2050 Strategy was timely in shaping a renewed regional and international response to this climate emergency.
The WMO Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019 confirmed the last five years were the warmest on record.
It also stated that ocean heat content and mean sea level rise recorded new highs last year.
Global climate projections showed that under all scenarios, temperatures would continue to warm - and years such as 2019 will become the 'norm' of this decade.