COP31 President and Türkiye's Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum has called on countries to turn climate commitments into concrete action as Pacific island nations face increasingly severe consequences from rising sea levels and climate change.

Kurum visited Tuvalu on Wednesday, a Pacific island nation facing the risk of being submerged because of rising sea levels, before attending a leaders' session in Fiji as part of pre-COP meetings ahead of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) that Türkiye will host in Antalya on Nov. 9-20 this year.

Addressing leaders in Fiji, Kurum highlighted the Taku Pakasoa Declaration, a Pacific-led call for stronger global climate action that urges countries to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius target within reach, increase climate finance and support communities on the front lines of rising sea levels.

"This declaration is a call to unite behind the people of the Pacific who are on the front lines of the climate crisis,” Kurum said.

He said the message coming from the Pacific reflects a broader need for the international community to move from discussions to action.

"Today, I see that everywhere in the world, we are delivering the same message, enough of meetings and talking; it is time to take action together,” he said.

Kurum said Pacific communities had lived in harmony with the ocean for centuries, but rising sea levels are now threatening their homes and way of life.

"Tuvalu, located only a few meters above sea level, faces the reality of climate change every day,” he said, warning that the challenges facing Tuvalu and Fiji could become a preview of what other parts of the world may face without stronger climate action.

As global temperatures approach the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, Kurum said keeping the target within reach had become an existential issue for vulnerable countries.

"The 1.5-degree target has become a matter of existence or extinction for countries such as Tuvalu,” he said.

Kurum also stressed the need for rapid and sustained emissions reductions, noting that small island developing states and least developed countries are already facing irreversible losses.

He reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to protecting the statehood, sovereignty and maritime zones of countries affected by rising sea levels.

Renewable energy and electrification

Kurum also called on countries that have not yet submitted their 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to take action.

He stressed the importance of tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, while calling for a fair, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

Kurum said Türkiye would highlight a 35% electrification target by 2035 as one of the key issues at COP31.

"We will also act in line with national road maps toward the 2050 net-zero emissions target,” he said.

"Electrification, energy storage and grid transformation will strengthen energy security, reduce costs and decrease dependence on fossil fuels.”

Ocean protection and climate finance

Kurum said the COP31 Action Agenda would place a particular focus on electrification, zero waste, green industrialization, seas and oceans.

He also stressed the need for climate finance to reach countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.

The international financial system should provide grant-based and concessional financing to small island developing states and least developed countries, Kurum said, while calling on developed countries to contribute to the Pacific Resilience Facility.

"The ocean is the planet's climate regulator, its largest carbon sink and a cornerstone of food security,” Kurum said.

He called for collective action against ocean warming, acidification, rising sea levels and biodiversity loss, while also emphasizing the importance of ocean science and the contributions of young people and Indigenous communities.

Kurum said the Pacific discussions were helping build momentum ahead of COP31 in Antalya.