The foreign minister of Tuvalu has given an impassioned speech demanding action on climate change whilst standing in the Pacific Ocean. The location was decided to show the impact of rising sea levels and how they could completely submerge low-lying Pacific Island nations such as Tuvalu. The speech was made directly to the world leaders attending the COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, which is being held to decide targets and action on fighting climate change.
Simon Kofe stood in a suit and tie and said:
"The statement juxtaposes the COP26 setting with the real-life situations faced in Tuvalu due to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise and highlights the bold action Tuvalu is taking to address the very pressing issues of human mobility under climate change."
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The video was then shown at the climate summit and filmed by public broadcaster TVBC just off the island of Fongafale, the main islet of the capital Funafuti.
Many fear that the rising seas will swallow many Pacific islands, and other low-lying islands across the globe, well before significant climate action is taken, urging leaders of these nations to demand stronger action. Among them were the leaders of the Maldives and Barbados.
Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, whose low-lying nation sits in the Indian Ocean, said last week:
"Our islands are slowly being eaten by the sea, one by one. If we do not reverse this trend, the Maldives will cease to exist by the end of the century."
Similarly, Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados, added:
"[Global warming of 2 degrees Celsius] is a death sentence for the people of Antigua and Barbuda, for the people of the Maldives, for the people of the Dominica and Fiji, for the people of Kenya and Mozambique, and yes, for the people of Samoa and Barbados."
As the COP26 took place, a new report was released by scientists stating that within the next 20 to 30 years billions of people in the world's hottest countries could be forced to exist in heat that is no longer humanly habitable, or where heat is so high that normal day-to-day existence becomes extremely difficult. They believe this could result in starvation, collapsing economies, and refugees fleeing north to cooler climates.
[Based on reporting by: Reuters]
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