Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo spoke on Tuesday about the dire impact of climate change on his country on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) in Tokyo, Japan.
He emphasised that climate change is Tuvalu’s top priority and will remain so indefinitely.
“As all Pacific Island countries have collectively declared, climate change and sea level rise pose the greatest existential threat to our future survivability.
“Tuvalu, like Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, is a flat island, merely a metre above sea level. The impact of sea level rise will be devastating. It would only take a meter’s increase for Tuvalu to be totally inundated,” PM Teo said during his presentation at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Teo also shared alarming predictions from climate change experts.
“By 2050, less than 30 years from now, over 50 percent of Tuvalu’s land territory will be regularly inundated by just regular tidal surges. These are not cyclones or typhoons; these are simply regular tidal surges. By 2100, more than 90 percent of our land will be under water. These predictions are alarming and dooming, but they reflect what experts are saying,” he said.
Teo expressed frustration over Tuvalu’s limited capacity to combat climate change alone.
“Unfortunately, the solution to climate change does not rest within the means of Tuvalu. It needs a collective global response.
The biggest emitters of greenhouse gases are outside our territory. The only solution within Tuvalu’s power is to make as much noise as we can, which is why we are so vocal in international advocacy,” he said.
Teo recounted his experience at the Small Island Developing States(SIDS) conference in Antigua and Barbuda, where he met the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“The UN SG visited Tuvalu in 2019 and stood in the waters in Tuvalu. The images of him submerged to his knees in his formal business clothing were impactful. He told me that for countries like Tuvalu, there is no alternative because we are totally flat. Other Pacific Island countries have hills to run to for high ground; Tuvalu does not.
“So, I’m very glad the UN Secretary-General is committed to fighting for Small Island States, especially the most vulnerable countries impacted by climate change,” he said.
Teo also expressed gratitude for international support for Tuvalu in the fight against the impacts of climate change.
“One of the flagship projects Tuvalu has started is the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation project. This land reclamation project aims to elevate our coastline to prevent the predicted impacts of climate change.
We are grateful to our development partners through the Global Climate Fund, Australia, New Zealand, and others for providing financial resources to fortify our land,” he said.
Tuvalu is also taking steps to ensure its future sovereignty and statehood.
“In December last year, our Parliament changed the constitution to recognise the continued statehood of Tuvalu into perpetuity.
Regardless of what happens to our land, our waters and maritime boundaries registered with the UN will remain intact. We are campaigning for other countries to recognise our continued statehood,” he explained.
Teo highlighted in Tokyo a recent treaty with Australia and reiterated the urgency of the situation.
“This treaty includes climate cooperation, support for our efforts against climate change, a migration pathway, and security guarantees.
“We are fighting for our survival. Tuvalu will continue to advocate for global action on climate change because our future depends on it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has commended Tuvalu’s appeal on the dangers of climate change, which has influenced the international community, and conveyed Japan’s climate change countermeasures to be introduced at PALM10.
He also announced that Japan would support Tuvalu in a submarine cable project and provide equipment to enhance Tuvalu’s cybersecurity capacity.
During a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo, he mentioned that a new vessel, under construction in Japan through an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project, is expected to improve transport services in Tuvalu.
PM Kishida also expressed his intention to strengthen the “kizuna” (bond) between Japan and the Pacific Island countries at PALM10, with Prime Minister Feleti Teo’s cooperation.
He emphasised the importance of discussing cooperation aligned with the “2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent” and using the meeting to communicate the joint direction of Japan and the Pacific Island countries both domestically and internationally.
Prime Minister Teo expressed his hope for a successful PALM10, thanked the Government and people of Japan for their cooperation, and looked forward to enhanced cooperation between the two countries.
Regarding the discharge of ALPS-treated water into the sea, Prime Minister Kishida assured ongoing efforts to ensure safety, and Prime Minister Teo reiterated his warm welcome.
Both leaders also exchanged candid views on various regional issues.
