Climate crisis: Samoa's prime minister calls on the world to save Pacific peoples from extinction
"There are already examples in the Pacific of whole communities, relocated to different countries"
The world must step back from the brink of climate catastrophe to save the peoples of the Pacific from extinction, Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has said.
The dramatic statement and call for action comes just before a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is expected to issue a scientific "final warning" on the climate emergency.
"We are all affected, but the degree of impact depends on the particular circumstances of the countries. In our low-lying atoll countries, we live with this," said the prime minister of the island nation, adding that "there are already examples in the Pacific of communities, entire communities, that have been relocated to different countries ."
Mata'afa warned in an interview with the Guardian that all countries will face escalating damage if they do not act now: “This is a collective issue, no one is immune from the effects of climate change. Therefore, it is very important for the global community to adhere to the decisions [to reduce greenhouse gas emissions] that have already been made. It seems more immediate for us [in the Pacific], but it still affects us all .'
On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will present the final text of its latest assessment of the global climate situation.
Known as the "composite report", it is expected to warn that the world has only a few years to achieve a deep shift to a low-carbon global economy or face devastation from extreme weather events such as rising sea levels. sea levels, intense heat waves, droughts and worse floods.
The report will also set out how this low-carbon economy will be achieved to keep global temperature rise within the critical limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
