Leading Samoan and Pacific Islands academic Sala Dr George Carter has been appointed to the COP29 Presidency Scientific Council.

He joins an elite group of scientists from around the world who will advise governments at this year's UN Climate talks in Azerbaijan.

"It's an absolute privilege to join this prestigious council," he said speaking on ABC's Pacific Beat.

"It's a team of scientists who assist in negotiations ... some of us are already embedded in organisations that advise governments.

"Our main mission is to put science in the heart of decision-making and policy-making."

This is probably the first time a Scientific Council sits directly under the presidency. It's a team of scientists who help advise in the progress of the negotiations.

Part of the group are scientists working on adaptation and mitigation, but also those who are advocating for the means of implementation through climate financing. Some are embedded inside these negotiations to advise governments.

“I work under Pacific governments, and our main mission is to put science at the heart of decision making, in this case, at international policy making, and through the work from now until next year,” said Sala.

“You know, the experiences in Australia and the Pacific are similar, that we have a unique vulnerability in the type of extreme climate events within us, not just at our borders, but within us, from the desert droughts to the sea level rise impacting food supply in Australia, I'm talking about oil and Torres Strait.

“It's not just in the scientific reports, but in the lived experience. And this is something that I'm hoping to try and elevate, is a return to the impacts and how climate change has a direct impact on the livelihoods of our people within that regime.

“We tend to give that focus to the IPCC or intergovernmental panel, but we don't bring that impact in the negotiations. This is important. No apologies.”

Sala is currently part of the preparatory work for COP 29. This meeting is currently underway in Fiji. These meetings hold significance for the region.

“Three meetings this week. One is a ministerial meeting for climate change ministers, and this is to help update them leading up to COP29. We have political champions from the Pacific. There are seven ministers, as well as climate change ministers, who will speak for the Pacific in essential meetings,” he said.

Sala feels Pacific nations must make the most of the opportunity at COP29 to have their voices heard and he hopes that these voices are backed with sound scientific advice.

Looking forward to Australia hosting a COP meeting, he believes it's an opportunity of a lifetime to get global action on climate change that the Pacific is pushing for.