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As climate conversations moved from village halls to international conference rooms, climate activist Lavetanalagi Seru noticed something missing. The realities of Pacific communities were often absent from discussions shaping climate action. “A lot of the conversations happening at higher levels didn’t always reflect what was happening in the communities,” he said. So, he went back home. Returning to Ra allowed him to reconnect with his community, listen to local experiences, and reflect on the knowledge and practices that have helped Pacific communities adapt and respond for generations. What he found was not a lack of solutions, but a reminder that many already exist. “From what I’ve seen when I visit communities, the solutions are already there,” he said. “It’s in our traditional way of life and the practices we’ve carried for generations.” For Seru, climate action begins with understanding identity, culture, and community. “You have to know yourself first, know where you come from before you can advocate for climate change,” he said. As Pacific leaders prepare for COP31, young people are working to ensure that community knowledge and lived experience are reflected in global climate conversations. These discussions are taking shape through the Pacific Youth Climate Talanoa Series in Suva, where young participants are examining how Pacific knowledge systems, cultural practices, and community-led responses can better inform climate action at all levels. Rather than searching for new solutions, the focus is on recognising, strengthening, and elevating what already exists. Climate change in the Pacific is inseparable from everyday life. It shapes livelihoods, cultural identity, wellbeing, and connection to place, requiring collective responses grounded in shared responsibility. “For us in the Pacific, it’s about working together,” Seru said. “Climate action is not something one person or one group can do alone; it takes a collective effort.”    “From what I’ve seen when I visit communities, the solutions are already there,” he said. “It’s in our traditional way of life and the practices we’ve carried for generations.” For Seru, returning home was not just about climate action; it was about grounding himself. “You have to know yourself first, know where you come from before you can advocate for climate change,” he said. That perspective was shared amongst young people coming together through the Pacific Youth Climate Talanoa Series in Suva. Rather than searching for new answers, discussions are focused on recognising and strengthening what already exists, traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and community-led responses. Climate change, in this context, is not a single issue. It is woven through identity, spirituality, livelihoods, and community wellbeing, and it demands a collective response. “For us in the Pacific, it’s about working together,” Seru said. “Climate action is not something one person or one group can do alone; it takes a collective effort.” Throughout the Talanoa, participants also reflected on the responsibility that comes with engaging communities and representing those realities in wider spaces. Young people emphasised the importance of staying grounded, recognising that even when working alongside communities, they cannot claim to speak on their behalf. Instead, their role is to listen, learn, and act as a bridge between community realities and global platforms, carrying those perspectives forward with care and integrity. As momentum builds toward COP31 later this year, the Talanoa is creating space for those connections to grow, bringing together young people navigating both community realities and global conversations. For Manies Ikuinen, a student at the University of the South Pacific, the Talanoa provides an opportunity to strengthen the link between community knowledge and global engagement. “Whatever I learn, I can take it back to my community in some way,” she said. As conversations build toward COP31, she pointed to the importance of making Pacific voices visible and understood. “We need to communicate our stories in ways that create impact,” she said.   Through the Talanoa Series, young people are building the confidence to step into these spaces while staying connected to where they come from. “We are the future and we’re bringing solutions,” she said. “We just need an opportunity to be heard and to help inform policies.” As the series continues, it is reinforcing a distinctly Pacific approach to climate action, one that draws on identity, values, collective responsibility, and recognises that the solutions are already rooted in communities. In partnership with the Pacific Youth Council, the United Nations continues to support these youth-led spaces, ensuring Pacific voices, knowledge and solutions are heard in the lead-up to COP31.