The government of Kiribati is planning to open up the Phoenix Island Protection Area to commercial fishing.
The area, declared in 2008, is about 1.5 times the size of New Zealand.
A no-take zone was declared in 2015 to protect the area but now, that decision is being reversed.
Kiribati's government says it's lost around $150 million since 2015 and the compensation never eventuated.
Fishing is the island nation's major source of wealth but how will this work with climate change goals?
Hawaii Kewalo Marine Laboratory marine scientist Robert Richmond spoke to Worldwatch's Perlina Lau about what this decision could mean.
