Lavenia Naivalu, a 44-year-old climate activist from Fiji’s Yasawa islands, is drawing attention to the impacts of climate change on Pacific communities as the region prepares to host preparatory meetings for the UN climate summit known as Cop31. Naivalu, who has witnessed firsthand the degradation of local reefs, depletion of fish stocks, coastal erosion from rising sea levels, and drying water sources in her village of Nacula, emphasizes that Pacific Island nations face disproportionate climate threats despite contributing only 0.02% of global emissions.
Naivalu serves as an Indigenous representative participating in Fiji’s hosting of leaders ahead of the Cop31 summit, scheduled for Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya in November. She has established herself as a trailblazer in her community, becoming Fiji’s first female mata ni tikina, or district representative overseeing village governance, and the first Indigenous representative selected to Fiji’s tourism board. As a veteran of previous Cop summits, Naivalu stresses the importance of centering Pacific Island voices and perspectives in global climate negotiations, which she argues are often overlooked or marginalized.
A central element of Naivalu’s advocacy involves translating complex climate policy into terms relevant to frontline communities. She argues that discussions around climate finance, adaptation, and mitigation frameworks must be connected to practical, observable outcomes rather than technical language that residents cannot directly relate to their daily challenges. Sivendra Michael, Fiji’s permanent secretary for environment and climate change, characterizes Naivalu’s role as “closing the distance between negotiating room and the reef.”
Nacula village has implemented various adaptation strategies in response to environmental pressures, including household water storage systems, food preservation initiatives, coral planting programs, and salt production efforts. Village chief Ratu Manasa Naikasowalo credits Naivalu’s advocacy for bringing these community-level initiatives and practical support back home. Moving forward, Naivalu intends to use the Cop31 process to advocate for direct financial access, community-level adaptation implementation, and recognition of Indigenous knowledge as substantive evidence in climate policy discussions rather than symbolic elements.
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