Pacific climate summit opens with a thin crowd of world leaders

Only two leaders from outside the Pacific accepted Australia’s invitation to a pre-COP climate meeting in Fiji, putting the Albanese government’s regional diplomacy under an early spotlight. The gathering brings about 4,000 people to Nadi ahead of COP31, but a packed venue is not the same as a packed leaders’ table.

The government faces questions over the meeting’s estimated cost of more than $20 million and whether...