Fiji, Sept. 3 -- A global temperature overshoot beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius could trigger an economic and food security crisis across the Pacific, pushing tuna stocks out of Pacific Island countries' exclusive economic zones and sharply reducing coastal fish catches, a leading regional scientist has warned.

Pacific Community (SPC) Deputy Director-General Dr Andrew Jones said the consequences of exceeding 1.5degC would reach far beyond rising seas and extreme weather, threatening government revenues, food security and the Pacific's deep cultural connection to fisheries.

Speaking at a press conference in Koror on the risks facing the Pacific Ocean if global warming exceeds 1.5degC, Dr Jones said tuna populations would shift eastward, away ...