'We are sinking': Tuvalu minister gives Cop26 speech standing knee deep in seawater

Foreign minister of Tuvalu gets his feet wet for COP26

A few years ago, The Guardian published an article on climate change effects on Tuvalu, which is a small Polynesian country. “Tuvalu is sinking” was reported to be the local catch phrase regarding these effects, and it was said that two of Tuvalu’s nine islands were already at the edge of their existence. Now, the Guardian and several other media around the world have shared a wake-up call in the form of a video with Tuvalu’s foreign minister, Simon Kofe, standing knee-deep in the ocean. The video was recorded and presented as a speech to COP26. In his opening remark, the minister states that “In Tuvalu, we are already living the realities of climate change – sea level rise”. He stresses that there is no time to “wait for speeches when the sea is rising around us all the time”. The minister calls for bold action today so that tomorrow can be secured. In a later part of his speech, he points out that everyone else is sinking as well, and that whether now or in a hundred years, everyone will sooner or later experience the severe effects of the global crisis.

Sources: The Guardian 16 May 2019, Ainge Roy, E. ‘One day we’ll disappear: Tuvalu’s sinking islands`
The Guardian 9 November 2021 ´ Tuvalu minister to address Cop26 knee deep in water to highlight climate crisis and sea level rise`

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Foreign minister of Tuvalu gets his feet wet for COP26

In this issue

Dependence on fossil gas cause soaring energy bills

Editorial: Promising ruling against the Energy Charter Treaty

NGOs demand a fully renewable energy system by 2040 in Europe

Energy sufficiency: a necessary complement to energy efficiency

Taxing livestock to reduce nitrogen and GHG emissions

Closing the nitrogen cycle with agroecology

Revising LULUCF regulation could be a chance for both climate and biodiversity

A global roadmap to “climate-smart” offshore renewable energy

WHO guidelines are based on science – policy should follow

Time to ban climate-threating advertising

Solutions to reach 1.5°C still available

A different COP – Communities of Practice – encourages offshore cooperation

Methane pledge must be followed by a fossil fuel phase-out target

Air pollution in Africa

EU institutions ignore latest evidence when evaluating health effects

Ocean acidification: the “Black elephant” in the Black Sea?

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