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A new report has found that more than 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was dumped or burned globally last year, which is the equivalent of 350 cruise ships, and up more than 20 per cent in just five years. The UN's Global E-waste Monitor 2020 also ranked Oceania as the second highest region, per capita, of e-waste, with each person generating 16.1 kilograms on average, it said. Common e-waste items include old mobile phones, batteries, TVs, computers and tablets. But Australia and New Zealand are the leading producers of that e-waste, with people in Pacific countries like Samoa and Tonga estimated to produce 3.1 kilograms per person, and in Fiji and PNG, the figure was just 1.5 kilograms. It's a problematic issue across the globe but in the Pacific, where in many countries there isn't the space for all this dumped technology, problems are looming. The region's peak environment body, SPREP, is working on several projects to tackle the issue. Bradley Nolan, the Project Manager for PacWastePlus, which is funded by the European Union, told Pacific Beat "disposable societies and large incomes" in countries like Australia and New Zealand explain why residents in those countries produce such large quantities of e-waste. And he suggested that Australia and other donor partners may in fact contribute to some of the e-waste in Pacific nations, with equipment such as computers donated when they had reached their end-of-life there. "There have been some incidents where some of the metropolitan countries [ie Australia, New Zealand] when some of their products are at the end of their useful life, say in a government department, has gifted those to countries to help out. "But of course they have less life, so they become an instant e-waste problem when they hit the islands...so aid and the work that people are attempting to do, with great intentions, creates some significant problems at the other end," he said.

One of the ongoing problems that Fiji faces in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston is the disposal of large amounts of disaster waste, and more than 17 months after Cyclone Pam, Vanuatu is still struggling with the same problem. It's an issue that's high on the agenda of the inaugural Clean Pacific Roundtable, and another post-disaster gathering that's going on in Fiji this week. Stewart Williams says it's important to act early, and in a more co-ordinated way than after Winston and other recent extreme weather events in the Pacific.

Eradicating invasive rats to help protect native Tongan birds.

The good and bad of tourism for the environment in developing countries. Beautiful forest and marine areas are attracting more tourists, but the effects of large number of people can damage them and make tourist bench short lived. The type of tourist to push for more environmentally aware tourism industry.

This United Nations-backed report, hosted by the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in collaboration with Australia’s environmental authorities, highlights critical insights from a comprehensive assessment of Fiji’s marine environment. Key findings include: Urgent need for environmental awareness: Enhanced public understanding is essential to safeguard Fiji’s rich marine resources from threats like marine pollution, coastal habitat destruction, and climate change impacts. Marine pollution pressure: Coastal waters are increasingly burdened by land-based pollutants—plastics, sewage, industrial runoff—and remnant debris from historical events (e.g., WWII wrecks), with contamination affecting marine ecosystems. Habitat degradation: Seagrasses, coral reefs, and mangrove ecosystems face degradation stemming from coastal development, deforestation, sedimentation, and unsustainable use. Climate change and invasive species: Rising sea levels and temperature increase stress marine ecosystems. Invasive species further destabilize native biodiversity and fish stocks. Policy and capacity gaps: Although Fiji is party to major environmental agreements, enforcement and systematic marine monitoring remain inadequate. Collaborative solutions: The report calls for strengthened coordination among UN agencies, SPREP, Fiji’s government, and Australian partners. Recommendations include expanding coastal climate-change observation, improving environmental education, enhancing marine pollution legislation, and bolstering community-based conservation efforts. Together, these insights emphasize that raising environmental awareness and fostering regional cooperation—especially with Australia—are vital to protecting Fiji's marine environment and achieving sustainable development goals.

This comprehensive National Assessment Report (NAR) was prepared by Papua New Guinea (PNG) for the global review of the Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), originally adopted in 1994 as part of the global conference on sustainable development in small island states The report fulfills one of three purposes: to evaluate PNG's progress in implementing the BPoA; to identify key challenges and constraints; and to propose actions for overcoming these obstacles It serves both national accountability and contributes to a regional/global assessment of SIDS commitments under the Programme.

Copper mine in the Namoci Fiji have been in pipeline for Australian Mining corporation and local community have been approached on how this site will be operating. Tailings dam can take up alot of land but can contain the waste from the mining corporations. The impact of the mine may affect the coral reefs, leading to coral bleaching. The ecological stressors have caused the coral to bleach.