Plea to save Pacific Islands from drowning

The following is the full text of the speech by David Ngatae in Copenhagen on the 9th of November at a public meeting held at the Danish Design Centre and organised by the Danish 92 Group

Ladies and Gentlemen
I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the most vulnerable countries, but especially the Small Island States like my home in the Pacific – many of which rise to no more than 3m above sea level.
For many years now we have been talking about global warming and the imminent prospect of sea level rise that will lead to the drowning of these islands. Well, for us that time has arrived. Already, communities are struggling to cope with the increased occurrence of devastating cyclones, agricultural lands that can no longer produce crops because of soil salinity, coral bleaching from an acidic ocean that is less able to absorb carbon dioxide and that can no longer support inshore marine habitats that once fed these communities with abundance.
For many years now we have been talking about finding a solution to the problem, but all I see are countries talking about a solution that does not deviate from their lifestyles of excess. Now that I have seen it for myself, I have grave doubts as to the will of these countries to address the global climate crisis that is upon us all.
Let us awaken to the clarity that we are in this same canoe together. It may be, that my side of the canoe is leaking, and I am the one getting wet while you watch from the dry side. You may ignore my calls for help to plug the leak, thinking that you are warm and safe. But let me however point out that if you do nothing and continue to ignore me, yes I will surely go down and be the first to drown, but you will be following right behind me. There is no Planet B.
There is little I can do except appeal to your humanity. It is up to you, whether we survive this catastrophe or not. I need you to be conscious of that humanity and to raise the awareness within others who believe that this Crisis does not concern them.
Who are the most vulnerable? People everywhere on this Earth will be vulnerable to Climate Change but it is the poor who will suffer the effects most, as they are not able to command the resources necessary to build the resilience against the onslaught, again and again; it is the millions of low lying coastal inhabitants who are already being forced to move from their lands as refugees; it is the indigenous communities around the globe who have led subsistent lives using a fraction of the earth’s resources while subsidizing the voracious appetites of the developed world; it is the people of small island states many of whose homes and cultures will disappear from the face of the earth and exist only in memory and history.
All of these people live under the impression, the trust and indeed the expectation that their rights to a sustainable existence with dignity are protected by the Human Rights instruments under the Charter of the United Nations. A charter, endorsed by those who now violate those rights. So where do they go for justice and remedy, when the violators themselves sit in judgement.
Recently we saw the developed world come together to pour resources and trillions of dollars into averting the Global Financial Change sweeping the world, yet hesitate and defer action when confronted by this greater Climate Crisis.
The most recent science tells us that we have underestimated in our projections of the likely impacts of Climate Change. This, only two years after the IPCC 4th Assessment report was released. Events that were projected to occur sometime in the future are now already taking place. Glaciers and land based ice sheets in the Antarctic, the projected cause of accelerated sea level rise are already melting and breaking off into the ocean. The melting of permafrost in the Arctic that maintain methane stable under the sea is likely to release these gases into the atmosphere, further accelerating this downhill slide that we are on. This is not science fiction but real data provided by your own world experts.
The most vulnerable people cannot wait while you continue to talk and plan about a possible solution. We have been told what the solutions are. Deep emissions cuts of greater than 40% by developed nations is required to keep the global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. This is the only scenario that is likely to ensure the survival of our islands.
There are those who say that these things cannot be done and there would be too much of a cost to the economies. This is not true and they are listening only to those in the fossil industries who stand to lose on maintaining their wealth. Their screams can be heard on the other side of the world because they know that they, like the dinosaurs whose remains they have profited from, will also disappear. Because that is simply going to be the way of the future.
Listen instead to those in the sunrise green renewables sector, who already have the solutions and are each day coming up with newer and improved solutions to our energy needs, if only they were given the mandate and support to take us into the future.
I came to this event with slides and pictures of what is happening in the Pacific and the effects that global warming is having, but I realized that if you saw these pictures you may take pity on me. I do not want your pity, I have enough of my own for my children. You should reserve yours for your own grandchildren for they are the ones that will judge you for what you decide to do today.
The time for talking is over, what is required now is action. We have a golden opportunity next month to take the actions necessary to ensure the survival of the planet. Let us not waste that opportunity by leaving room for doubt as to what it is we have to do.
Let us not then leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren where they judge us as having not done enough to stand up for good and what is right.
Thank you for listening.

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