COP26: Tuvalu minister delivers speech in the ocean to raise awareness about rising sea levels

Nov 11, 2021

This article is published in collaboration with Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org.

Tuvalu's Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs Simon Kofe delivers a statement to COP26 while standing in the ocean in Funafuti, Tuvalu November 5, 2021

Kofe's decision to speak at COP26 while standing in the sea has been drawing attention to Tuvalu's struggle against rising sea levels. Image: Courtesy Tuvalu's Ministry of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs/Social Media via REUTERS

Colin Packham

Writer, Reuters

Our Impact

What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Nature and Biodiversity?

The Big Picture

Explore and monitor how SDG 13: Climate Action is affecting economies, industries and global issues

A hand holding a looking glass by a lake

Crowdsource Innovation

Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:

SDG 13: Climate Action

Simon Kofe, Tuvalu's foreign minister, has given a speech to COP26 knee-deep in seawater.
The United Nations Development Programme classifies Tuvalu as “extremely vulnerable” to the effects of climate change.
Other Pacific Island leaders have demanded immediate climate action, pointing out that the very survival of their low-lying countries is at stake.

Tuvalu's foreign minister has given a speech to the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow standing knee-deep in seawater to show how his low-lying Pacific island nation is on the front line 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.

Have you read?

"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 of his video message to the conference.

The video was shot by public broadcaster TVBC at the far end of Fongafale, the main islet of the capital Funafuti, a government official said.

It is due to be shown at the climate summit and comes as regional leaders push for more aggressive action to limit the impact of climate change.

Many big polluters have vowed to intensify their carbon cuts over coming decades with some aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Discover

What's the World Economic Forum doing about the ocean?

Our ocean covers 70% of the world’s surface and accounts for 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. We can't have a healthy future without a healthy ocean - but it's more vulnerable than ever because of climate change and pollution.

Tackling the grave threats to our ocean means working with leaders across sectors, from business to government to academia.

The World Economic Forum convenes the Friends of Ocean Action, a coalition of global leaders from a wide range of sectors who are working together to protect the seas. From a programme to scale blue carbon benefits through coordinated action with governments to unlock finance, strengthen and empower local communities, to a global partnership to catalyze science-based actions towards healthy and sustainable blue food value chains, the Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda is pushing for new solutions and aiming to support 1000 Ocean Startups by 2030 that are creating a wave of innovation to address global challenges.

The Forum's Ocean Action Agenda also works closely with our industry partners, such as offshore wind developers and ports, to support them in their transitions towards a nature positive and net zero future. Climate change is an inextricable part of the threat to our ocean, with rising temperatures and acidification disrupting fragile ecosystems. The Forum runs a number of initiatives to support the shift to a low-carbon economy, including hosting the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, who have cut emissions in their companies by 9%.

Is your organization interested in working with the World Economic Forum? Find out more here.

But Pacific Island leaders have demanded immediate action, pointing out that the very survival of their low-lying countries is at stake.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Karishma Singh)

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.