Australia announced new climate funding for the Pacific at this week’s pre-COP meetings in Nadi, Fiji, but faced criticism that the pledge was too small. The Australian government said it would invest AU$3 million in road and communications infrastructure projects in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu. Climate Minister Chris Bowen said the funds would help countries adjust to climate change, particularly coastal erosion and rising seas. But Oxfam Australia CEO Jennifer Tierney said Australian leaders left the talks “without a single substantial funding pledge”. She said the projects announced this week did not represent new climate finance. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape called the issue one of morality. He said nations with sovereign borders faced the threat of being “nations no more”. A UN report in August found developing countries needed $310-365 billion to adapt, with only $26 billion available in 2023. The pre-COP meetings lead into COP31 in Turkiye next month.