By Inoke Rabonu, Fiji Sun
Pacific youth must face the hard truth that they will inherit the worst impacts of climate change and take responsibility for shaping a resilient future, says Samoan climate activist, Brianna Fruean.
Speaking on the margins of the Pacific Regional Loss and Damage dialogue, Ms Fruean said young Pacific leaders must be at the forefront of decisions on loss and damage because they are the ones who will live through the harshest consequences.
International Youth Day was also observed at the opening of the dialogue currently held in Apia, Samoa.
“Our young people will bear the biggest brunt of what we will lose and what will be damaged,” Ms Fruean said.
“We hold the responsibility to be in this conversation today, to be planning for tomorrow because this is our region and we will be the caretakers of it.”
She said young Pacific leaders must be at the forefront of decisions on loss and damage because they are the ones who will live through the harshest consequences.
“When the future does come and the harshest impacts of climate change is experienced by our young people, they need to be ready,” she said.
Ms Fruean noted that today’s youth are more technologically connected than previous generations, giving them unique tools to innovate climate solutions.
“They have access to AI, to streaming platforms, to a connected world online that's so different from the past 10 years. Those ideas that will come out of the digital space will also inform how we react to loss and damage and how we respond to disaster,” she said.
The activist also backed the proposal for an Australia–Pacific COP, saying it would bring climate talks closer to the region and make participation easier for Pacific islanders.
“If we're not seen and we're not heard, we're forgotten,” she said.
“If it’s in Australia, it just opens the door to so much more access for our young people to get there… we would have more voices in Australia than we would in Turkey.”
Her message to Pacific youth was clear: “Unfortunately we will be living with the worst consequences of climate change. It’s me, you, all of our brothers and sisters, we're on this ‘vaka’ (canoe) together… the experience we will have will be much different from our parents and our grandparents.”
The Pacific Regional Loss and Damage Dialogue 2025 is held from 11-12 August at Taumeasina Island Resort. It follows the inaugural Pacific Youth Dialogue on Loss and Damage, held from 7- 8 August, at the same venue in Samoa.
The Pacific Regional Loss and Damage Dialogue 2025 and the inaugural Pacific Youth Dialogue on Loss and Damage are made possible with funding support from the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity (LDCC) Project with the Government of New Zealand.
Hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the dialogues bring together Pacific governments, youths, civil society, academia, NGOs, and the private sector to collectively advance the region’s priorities on Loss and damage.
This story was produced by the Pacific Media Team covering the meetings. Their attendance is made possible with funding support from the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity (LDCC) Project with the Government of New Zealand.
For more information, please contact SPREP Climate Change Adaptation Adviser, Ms Filomena Nelson [email protected] , SPREP Climate Change Loss and Damage Officer, Ms Jessica Rodham [email protected] or Media and Public Relations Officer, Mr Keni Lesa [email protected]