Climate Change Report

The report said more than a century of burning fossil fuels and unsustainable land use has had led to global warming of 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Vanuatu's Minister for Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu said the report makes "very clear" the planet is out of time to make climate transformations.

"The IPCC report is what we expected because the world is not doing what it should be doing," Regenvanu said.

"So there was nothing surprising in that report, it is just more warning and showing that we really need to take drastic action immediately."

The Games, which start next week, will be the first Winter Olympics to use almost 100% artificial snow, deploying more than 100 snow generators and 300 snow-cannons working flat out to cover the ski slopes.

"This is not only energy and water intensive, frequently using chemicals to slow melt, but also delivers a surface that many competitors say is unpredictable and potentially dangerous," said the report, written by researchers from the Sport Ecology Group at Loughborough University in England and the Protect Our Winters environment group.

MEIDECC CEO, Paula Ma’u has stressed the call for urgent climate action and the need for clear financing plans.

He added that it is crucial, following the stark warning of the first part of the assessment report.

“The report will help Tonga to explore funding opportunities to fund the reduction of Tonga’s greenhouse gas emissions as well as adapt to the adverse effects and reduce the impacts of climate change,” he said.

The report was developed with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under its Climate Promise initiative.