London [UK], October 25: The leaders of the Commonwealth grouping of nations met on Thursday ahead of a summit in the South Pacific nation of Samoa that will feature talks on climate change and the question of reparations for Britain's role in transatlantic slavery.
King Charles, the head of the grouping, is among the representatives of 56 countries, most with roots in Britain's empire, who are attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that began on Monday.
More than half of the Commonwealth's members are small nations, many of them low-lying islands at risk from rising sea levels caused by climate change
Among them is Tuvalu, whose climate change minister, Maina Vakafua Talia, urged the grouping to strive for the Paris Accord's warming goal of 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), calling new fossil fuel projects a "death sentence" for his country.
Island leaders are expected to issue a declaration on ocean protection at the summit, with climate change being a central topic of discussion.
Zambia was among the African countries that warned of the rising impacts of climate change, including the effects on food security, she added.
On Thursday, Charles will be shown the impact of rising sea levels that are forcing people to move inland, a Samoan chief said.
Ocean temperatures are rising in the Pacific Islands at three times the global rate, Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, has said, leaving their people "uniquely exposed" to the impact of rising sea levels.
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa welcomed the assembled leaders at a banquet, among them Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, wearing a colourful "bula" shirt, while his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, wore a dark suit.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
