Adapting Fiji's economy to cope with climate change would cost Fiji US$4.5 billion over 10 years.
Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has told a gathering in Kenya the costs of adaptation are staggering, but the costs of inaction are far higher.
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama addresses a UN climate gathering in Kenya. Photo: Fiji Government
He said a climate vulnerability assessment of Fiji's economy showed the resources, technology and expertise needed amounted to nearly the entire gross domestic product of Fiji.
"Many vulnerable economies are only one severe weather event away from complete decimation. We need new financing mechanisms and new technologies to mitigate that risk."
Mr Bainimarama says the world's cities are at a crossroads, faced with evolving or crumbling under the impacts of climate change.
Fiji is working on an urban planning initiative with Singapore, which places low-emissions and climate-resilient strategies at the heart of Fiji's urban development agenda, he said.
"Our efforts to build resilience must be matched with decisive cuts in global carbon emissions. Otherwise, climate impacts will intensify to a scale beyond any nation's ability to manage."
He said urban areas account for nearly 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Acknowledging that many cities are stepping up their own commitments, he said that's where decisive cuts "can and must be made".
