Tuvalu’s foreign minister has recorded a speech for the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow standing knee-deep i
n seawater to highlight how his low-lying Pacific Island nation is on the frontline of climate change.
Images of Simon Kofe standing in a suit and tie at a lectern set up in the sea, with his trouser legs rolled up, have been shared widely on social media, drawing attention to Tuvalu’s struggle against rising sea levels.
“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,” Kofe said in his video message.
“We are demanding that global net-zero be secured by mid-century, that 1.5 degrees be kept within reach, that urgently needed climate finance be mobilised to address loss and damage,” he pleaded.
“We are looking for the world to get its act together.” The camera then pulls out to reveal Kofe standing up to his thighs in the water off Tuvalu’s coast.
