My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together
-
0:01 - 0:04Chris Anderson: Perhaps we could start
by just telling us about your country. -
0:04 - 0:08It's three dots there on the globe.
Those dots are pretty huge. -
0:08 - 0:11I think each one
is about the size of California. -
0:11 - 0:13Tell us about Kiribati.
-
0:13 - 0:17Anote Tong: Well, let me first begin
by saying how deeply grateful I am -
0:17 - 0:22for this opportunity to share my story
with people who do care. -
0:22 - 0:27I think I've been sharing my story with
a lot of people who don't care too much. -
0:27 - 0:31But Kiribati is comprised
of three groups of islands: -
0:31 - 0:34the Gilbert Group on the west,
-
0:34 - 0:37we have the Phoenix Islands in the middle,
-
0:37 - 0:42and the Line Islands in the east.
-
0:42 - 0:45And quite frankly, Kiribati
is perhaps the only country -
0:45 - 0:47that is actually
in the four corners of the world, -
0:47 - 0:50because we are in the Northern Hemisphere,
in the Southern Hemisphere, -
0:50 - 0:54and also in the east and the west
of the International Date Line. -
0:54 - 1:00These islands are entirely
made up of coral atolls, -
1:00 - 1:05and on average about
two meters above sea level. -
1:05 - 1:08And so this is what we have.
-
1:08 - 1:13Usually not more
than two kilometers in width. -
1:13 - 1:16And so, on many occasions,
I've been asked by people, -
1:16 - 1:19"You know, you're suffering,
why don't you move back?" -
1:19 - 1:20They don't understand.
-
1:20 - 1:24They have no concept
of what it is that's involved. -
1:24 - 1:27With the rising sea, they say,
"Well, you can move back." -
1:27 - 1:29And so this is what I tell them.
-
1:29 - 1:33If we move back, we will fall off
on the other side of the ocean. OK? -
1:33 - 1:38But these are the kinds of issues
that people don't understand. -
1:38 - 1:42CA: So certainly this is
just a picture of fragility there. -
1:42 - 1:45When was it that you yourself realized
-
1:45 - 1:48that there might be
impending peril for your country? -
1:48 - 1:52AT: Well, the story of climate change
has been one that has been going on -
1:52 - 1:53for quite a number of decades.
-
1:53 - 1:58And when I came into office in 2003,
-
1:58 - 2:02I began talking about climate change
at the United Nations General Assembly, -
2:02 - 2:05but not with so much passion,
-
2:05 - 2:09because then there was still
this controversy among the scientists -
2:09 - 2:14whether it was human-induced,
whether it was real or it wasn't. -
2:14 - 2:20But I think that that debate
was fairly much concluded in 2007 -
2:20 - 2:26with the Fourth Assessment
Report of the IPCC, -
2:26 - 2:33which made a categorical statement
that it is real, it's human-induced, -
2:33 - 2:37and it's predicting
some very serious scenarios -
2:37 - 2:39for countries like mine.
-
2:39 - 2:43And so that's when I got very serious.
-
2:43 - 2:47In the past, I talked about it.
-
2:47 - 2:48We were worried.
-
2:48 - 2:52But when the scenarios,
the predictions came in 2007, -
2:52 - 2:54it became a real issue for us.
-
2:54 - 3:00CA: Now, those predictions are,
I think, that by 2100, -
3:00 - 3:02sea levels are forecast to rise
perhaps three feet. -
3:02 - 3:05There's scenarios where
it's higher than that, for sure, -
3:05 - 3:07but what would you say
to a skeptic who said, -
3:07 - 3:08"What's three feet?
-
3:08 - 3:11You're on average
six feet above sea level. -
3:11 - 3:12What's the problem?"
-
3:12 - 3:14AT: Well, I think
it's got to be understood -
3:14 - 3:16that a marginal rise in sea level
-
3:16 - 3:19would mean a loss of a lot of land,
-
3:19 - 3:22because much of the land is low.
-
3:22 - 3:27And quite apart from that,
we are getting the swells at the moment. -
3:27 - 3:30So it's not about getting two feet.
-
3:30 - 3:33I think what many people do not understand
-
3:33 - 3:39is they think climate change is something
that is happening in the future. -
3:39 - 3:42Well, we're at the very
bottom end of the spectrum. -
3:42 - 3:43It's already with us.
-
3:43 - 3:47We have communities
who already have been dislocated. -
3:47 - 3:51They have had to move,
and every parliament session, -
3:51 - 3:53I'm getting complaints
from different communities -
3:53 - 3:56asking for assistance to build seawalls,
-
3:56 - 3:59to see what we can do
about the freshwater lens -
3:59 - 4:01because it's being destroyed,
-
4:01 - 4:03and so in my trips
to the different islands, -
4:03 - 4:06I'm seeing evidence of communities
-
4:06 - 4:10which are now having to cope
with the loss of food crops, -
4:10 - 4:13the contamination of the water lenses,
-
4:13 - 4:18and I see these communities
perhaps leaving, having to relocate, -
4:18 - 4:20within five to 10 years.
-
4:20 - 4:24CA: And then, I think the country
suffered its first cyclone, -
4:24 - 4:27and this is connected, yes?
What happened here? -
4:28 - 4:30AT: Well, we're on the equator,
-
4:30 - 4:35and I'm sure many of you understand
that when you're on the equator, -
4:35 - 4:38it's supposed to be in the doldrums.
We're not supposed to get the cyclones. -
4:38 - 4:41We create them, and then we send them
either north or south. -
4:41 - 4:42(Laughter)
-
4:43 - 4:44But they aren't supposed to come back.
-
4:44 - 4:47But for the first time,
at the beginning of this year, -
4:47 - 4:51the Cyclone Pam,
which destroyed Vanuatu, -
4:51 - 4:54and in the process,
the very edges of it actually touched -
4:54 - 4:56our two southernmost islands,
-
4:57 - 5:02and all of Tuvalu was underwater
when Hurricane Pam struck. -
5:02 - 5:06But for our two southernmost islands,
-
5:06 - 5:09we had waves come over half the island,
-
5:09 - 5:11and so this has never happened before.
-
5:11 - 5:13It's a new experience.
-
5:13 - 5:18And I've just come back
from my own constituency, -
5:18 - 5:22and I've seen these beautiful trees
which had been there for decades, -
5:22 - 5:24they've been totally destroyed.
-
5:24 - 5:25So this is what's happening,
-
5:26 - 5:29but when we talk
about the rising sea level, -
5:29 - 5:32we think it's something
that happens gradually. -
5:33 - 5:36It comes with the winds,
it comes with the swells, -
5:36 - 5:38and so they can be magnified,
-
5:38 - 5:44but what we are beginning to witness
is the change in the weather pattern, -
5:44 - 5:46which is perhaps the more urgent challenge
-
5:47 - 5:51that we will face sooner
than perhaps the rising sea level. -
5:51 - 5:54CA: So the country
is already seeing effects now. -
5:54 - 5:57As you look forward,
-
5:57 - 6:00what are your options
as a country, as a nation? -
6:01 - 6:03AT: Well, I've been telling
this story every year. -
6:03 - 6:05I think I visit a number of --
-
6:05 - 6:10I've been traveling the world
to try and get people to understand. -
6:10 - 6:12We have a plan, we think we have a plan.
-
6:12 - 6:16And on one occasion,
I think I spoke in Geneva -
6:16 - 6:20and there was a gentleman
who was interviewing me -
6:20 - 6:21on something like this,
-
6:22 - 6:24and I said, "We are looking
at floating islands," -
6:24 - 6:26and he thought it was funny,
but somebody said, -
6:26 - 6:30"No, this is not funny.
These people are looking for solutions." -
6:30 - 6:34And so I have been looking
at floating islands. -
6:34 - 6:37The Japanese are interested
in building floating islands. -
6:37 - 6:40But, as a country,
we have made a commitment -
6:40 - 6:44that no matter what happens,
we will try as much as possible -
6:44 - 6:48to stay and continue to exist as a nation.
-
6:48 - 6:50What that will take,
-
6:50 - 6:53it's going to be
something quite significant, -
6:53 - 6:55very, very substantial.
-
6:55 - 6:57Either we live on floating islands,
-
6:57 - 7:01or we have to build up the islands
to continue to stay out of the water -
7:01 - 7:06as the sea level rises
and as the storms get more severe. -
7:06 - 7:08But even that, it's going to be
very, very difficult -
7:08 - 7:11to get the kind of resourcing
that we would need. -
7:11 - 7:15CA: And then the only recourse
is some form of forced migration. -
7:15 - 7:17AT: Well, we are also looking at that
-
7:17 - 7:20because in the event
that nothing comes forward -
7:20 - 7:22from the international community,
-
7:22 - 7:23we are preparing,
-
7:23 - 7:27we don't want to be caught
like what's happening in Europe. -
7:27 - 7:29OK? We don't want to mass migrate
at some point in time. -
7:29 - 7:33We want to be able
to give the people the choice today, -
7:33 - 7:36those who choose
and want to do that, to migrate. -
7:36 - 7:41We don't want something to happen
that they are forced to migrate -
7:42 - 7:44without having been prepared to do so.
-
7:44 - 7:47Of course, our culture is very different,
our society is very different, -
7:47 - 7:50and once we migrate
into a different environment, -
7:50 - 7:51a different culture,
-
7:51 - 7:54there's a whole lot
of adjustments that are required. -
7:54 - 7:57CA: Well, there's forced migration
in your country's past, -
7:57 - 7:59and I think just this week,
-
7:59 - 8:02just yesterday
or the day before yesterday, -
8:02 - 8:04you visited these people.
-
8:04 - 8:07What happened here? What's the story here?
-
8:07 - 8:09AT: Yes, and I'm sorry,
I think somebody was asking -
8:09 - 8:12why we were sneaking off
to visit that place. -
8:12 - 8:16I had a very good reason, because we have
a community of Kiribati people -
8:16 - 8:20living in that part
of the Solomon Islands, -
8:20 - 8:24but these were people who were relocated
from the Phoenix Islands, in fact, -
8:24 - 8:25in the 1960s.
-
8:25 - 8:30There was serious drought, and the people
could not continue to live on the island, -
8:30 - 8:33and so they were moved
to live here in the Solomon Islands. -
8:33 - 8:37And so yesterday it was very interesting
to meet with these people. -
8:37 - 8:39They didn't know who I was.
They hadn't heard of me. -
8:39 - 8:42Some of them later recognized me,
-
8:42 - 8:45but I think they were very happy.
-
8:45 - 8:50Later they really wanted to have
the opportunity to welcome me formally. -
8:50 - 8:53But I think what I saw yesterday
was very interesting -
8:53 - 8:55because here I see our people.
-
8:55 - 9:01I spoke in our language, and of course
they spoke back, they replied, -
9:01 - 9:05but their accent, they are beginning
not to be able to speak Kiribati properly. -
9:05 - 9:08I saw them, there was
this lady with red teeth. -
9:08 - 9:10She was chewing betel nuts,
-
9:10 - 9:12and it's not something we do in Kiribati.
-
9:12 - 9:15We don't chew betel nuts.
-
9:15 - 9:21I met also a family who have married
the local people here, -
9:21 - 9:25and so this is what is happening.
-
9:25 - 9:29As you go into another community,
there are bound to be changes. -
9:29 - 9:33There is bound to be
a certain loss of identity, -
9:33 - 9:37and this is what we will be
looking for in the future -
9:37 - 9:39if and when we do migrate.
-
9:39 - 9:42CA: It must have been
just an extraordinarily emotional day -
9:42 - 9:45because of these questions about identity,
-
9:45 - 9:50the joy of seeing you and perhaps
an emphasized sense of what they had lost. -
9:50 - 9:54And it's very inspiring to hear you say
you're going to fight to the end -
9:54 - 9:58to try to preserve
the nation in a location. -
9:58 - 9:59AT: This is our wish.
-
9:59 - 10:02Nobody wants ever to leave their home,
-
10:02 - 10:06and so it's been
a very difficult decision for me. -
10:06 - 10:11As a leader, you don't make plans
to leave your island, your home, -
10:11 - 10:13and so I've been asked
on a number of occasions, -
10:13 - 10:14"So how do you feel?"
-
10:14 - 10:18And it doesn't feel good at all.
-
10:18 - 10:21It's an emotional thing,
and I've tried to live with it, -
10:21 - 10:26and I know that on occasions, I'm accused
of not trying to solve the problem -
10:26 - 10:28because I can't solve the problem.
-
10:28 - 10:31It's something that's got
to be done collectively. -
10:31 - 10:37Climate change is a global phenomenon,
and as I've often argued, -
10:37 - 10:41unfortunately, the countries,
when we come to the United Nations -- -
10:41 - 10:46I was in a meeting with
the Pacific Island Forum countries -
10:46 - 10:49where Australia and New Zealand
are also members, -
10:49 - 10:51and we had an argument.
-
10:51 - 10:53There was a bit of a story in the news
-
10:53 - 10:58because they were arguing
that to cut emissions, -
10:58 - 11:00it would be something
that they're unable to do -
11:00 - 11:03because it would affect the industries.
-
11:03 - 11:05And so here I was saying,
-
11:05 - 11:07OK, I hear you,
-
11:07 - 11:08I understand what you're saying,
-
11:09 - 11:11but try also to understand what I'm saying
-
11:11 - 11:13because if you do not cut your emissions,
-
11:13 - 11:16then our survival is on the line.
-
11:16 - 11:20And so it's a matter for you
to weigh this, these moral issues. -
11:20 - 11:24It's about industry as opposed to
the survival of a people. -
11:24 - 11:27CA: You know, I ask you yesterday
what made you angry, -
11:27 - 11:30and you said, "I don't get angry."
But then you paused. -
11:30 - 11:32I think this made you angry.
-
11:32 - 11:37AT: I'd refer you to my earlier
statement at the United Nations. -
11:37 - 11:42I was very angry, very frustrated
and then depressed. -
11:42 - 11:44There was a sense of futility
-
11:44 - 11:49that we are fighting a fight
that we have no hope of winning. -
11:49 - 11:52I had to change my approach.
-
11:52 - 11:54I had to become more reasonable
-
11:54 - 11:57because I thought people would listen
to somebody who was rational, -
11:57 - 11:59but I remain radically rational,
whatever that is. -
12:00 - 12:01(Laughter)
-
12:01 - 12:05CA: Now, a core part
of your nation's identity is fishing. -
12:05 - 12:08I think you said pretty much everyone
is involved in fishing in some way. -
12:08 - 12:11AT: Well, we eat fish
every day, every day, -
12:11 - 12:16and I think there is no doubt
that our rate of consumption of fish -
12:16 - 12:18is perhaps the highest in the world.
-
12:18 - 12:20We don't have a lot of livestock,
-
12:20 - 12:23so it's fish that we depend on.
-
12:23 - 12:26CA: So you're dependent on fish,
both at the local level -
12:26 - 12:29and for the revenues
that the country receives -
12:29 - 12:32from the global fishing business for tuna,
-
12:32 - 12:37and yet despite that, a few years ago
you took a very radical step. -
12:37 - 12:38Can you tell us about that?
-
12:38 - 12:41I think something happened
right here in the Phoenix Islands. -
12:41 - 12:47AT: Let me give some of the background
of what fish means for us. -
12:47 - 12:51We have one of the largest
tuna fisheries remaining in the world. -
12:51 - 12:54In the Pacific, I think we own
something like 60 percent -
12:54 - 12:55of the remaining tuna fisheries,
-
12:55 - 13:00and it remains relatively healthy
for some species, but not all. -
13:00 - 13:05And Kiribati is one of the three
major resource owners, -
13:06 - 13:08tuna resource owners.
-
13:08 - 13:11And at the moment, we have been getting
-
13:11 - 13:14something like 80 to 90
percent of our revenue -
13:14 - 13:17from access fees, license fees.
-
13:17 - 13:18CA: Of your national revenue.
-
13:19 - 13:20AT: National revenue,
-
13:20 - 13:23which drives everything that we do
-
13:23 - 13:27in governments, hospitals,
schools and what have you. -
13:27 - 13:32But we decided to close this,
and it was a very difficult decision. -
13:32 - 13:38I can assure you, politically,
locally, it was not easy, -
13:38 - 13:42but I was convinced that we had to do this
-
13:42 - 13:47in order to ensure
that the fishery remains sustainable. -
13:47 - 13:49There had been some indications
that some of the species, -
13:49 - 13:54in particular the bigeye,
was under serious threat. -
13:54 - 13:57The yellowfin was also heavily fished.
-
13:57 - 13:59Skipjack remains healthy.
-
13:59 - 14:03And so we had to do something like that,
and so that was the reason I did that. -
14:04 - 14:07Another reason why I did that
-
14:07 - 14:12was because I had been asking
the international community -
14:12 - 14:17that in order to deal with climate change,
in order to fight climate change, -
14:17 - 14:21there has got to be sacrifice,
there has got to be commitment. -
14:21 - 14:26So in asking the international community
to make a sacrifice, -
14:26 - 14:29I thought we ourselves
need to make that sacrifice. -
14:29 - 14:31And so we made the sacrifice.
-
14:31 - 14:36And forgoing commercial fishing
-
14:36 - 14:38in the Phoenix Islands protected area
-
14:38 - 14:40would mean a loss of revenue.
-
14:40 - 14:43We are still trying to assess
what that loss would be -
14:43 - 14:48because we actually closed it off
at the beginning of this year, -
14:48 - 14:50and so we will see by the end of this year
-
14:50 - 14:54what it means in terms
of the lost revenue. -
14:54 - 14:56CA: So there's so many things
playing into this. -
14:56 - 15:03On the one hand,
it may prompt healthier fisheries. -
15:03 - 15:05I mean, how much are you able
to move the price up -
15:05 - 15:08that you charge for the remaining areas?
-
15:08 - 15:13AT: The negotiations
have been very difficult, -
15:13 - 15:16but we have managed
to raise the cost of a vessel day. -
15:16 - 15:19For any vessel
to come in to fish for a day, -
15:19 - 15:23we have raised the fee from --
it was $6,000 and $8,000, -
15:23 - 15:27now to $10,000, $12,000 per vessel day.
-
15:27 - 15:31And so there's been
that significant increase. -
15:31 - 15:35But at the same time,
what's important to note is, -
15:35 - 15:40whereas in the past these fishing boats
-
15:40 - 15:43might be fishing in a day
and maybe catch 10 tons, -
15:44 - 15:47now they're catching maybe 100 tons
because they've become so efficient. -
15:47 - 15:50And so we've got to respond likewise.
-
15:50 - 15:54We've got to be very, very careful
because the technology has so improved. -
15:54 - 15:59There was a time when the Brazilian fleet
moved from the Atlantic to the Pacific. -
15:59 - 16:01They couldn't.
-
16:01 - 16:04They started experimenting
if they could, per se. -
16:04 - 16:08But now they've got ways of doing it,
and they've become so efficient. -
16:09 - 16:12CA: Can you give us a sense
of what it's like in those negotiations? -
16:12 - 16:14Because you're up against companies
-
16:14 - 16:18that have hundreds of millions
of dollars at stake, essentially. -
16:18 - 16:21How do you hold the line?
-
16:21 - 16:23Is there any advice you can give
-
16:23 - 16:26to other leaders who are dealing
with the same companies -
16:26 - 16:30about how to get
the most for your country, -
16:30 - 16:34get the most for the fish?
-
16:34 - 16:36What advice would you give?
-
16:36 - 16:42AT: Well, I think we focus
too often on licensing -
16:42 - 16:44in order to get the rate of return,
-
16:44 - 16:47because what we are getting
from license fees -
16:47 - 16:49is about 10 percent
of the landed value of the catch -
16:49 - 16:53on the side of the wharf,
not in the retail shops. -
16:53 - 16:57And we only get about 10 percent.
-
16:57 - 16:59What we have been trying
to do over the years -
16:59 - 17:03is actually to increase
our participation in the industry, -
17:03 - 17:06in the harvesting, in the processing,
-
17:06 - 17:08and eventually, hopefully, the marketing.
-
17:08 - 17:11They're not easy to penetrate,
-
17:11 - 17:14but we are working towards that,
-
17:14 - 17:16and yes, the answer would be to enhance.
-
17:16 - 17:21In order to increase our rate of return,
we have to become more involved. -
17:21 - 17:24And so we've started doing that,
-
17:24 - 17:28and we have to restructure the industry.
-
17:28 - 17:31We've got to tell these people
that the world has changed. -
17:31 - 17:34Now we want to produce the fish ourselves.
-
17:34 - 17:36CA: And meanwhile,
for your local fishermen, -
17:36 - 17:39they are still able to fish,
-
17:39 - 17:42but what is business like for them?
-
17:42 - 17:44Is it getting harder?
Are the waters depleted? -
17:44 - 17:47Or is that being run
on a sustainable basis? -
17:47 - 17:49AT: For the artisanal fishery,
-
17:49 - 17:52we do not participate
in the commercial fishing activity -
17:52 - 17:55except only to supply the domestic market.
-
17:55 - 17:59The tuna fishery is really
entirely for the foreign market, -
17:59 - 18:05mostly here in the US, Europe, Japan.
-
18:05 - 18:09So I am a fisherman, very much,
-
18:09 - 18:13and I used to be able to catch yellowfin.
-
18:13 - 18:15Now it's very, very rare
to be able to catch yellowfin -
18:15 - 18:19because they are being lifted
out of the water by the hundreds of tons -
18:19 - 18:21by these purse seiners.
-
18:22 - 18:27CA: So here's a couple
of beautiful girls from your country. -
18:27 - 18:31I mean, as you think about their future,
-
18:31 - 18:33what message would you have for them
-
18:33 - 18:36and what message
would you have for the world? -
18:36 - 18:40AT: Well, I've been telling the world
that we really have to do something -
18:40 - 18:42about what is happening to the climate
-
18:42 - 18:44because for us, it's about
the future of these children. -
18:44 - 18:46I have 12 grandchildren, at least.
-
18:46 - 18:48I think I have 12, my wife knows.
-
18:48 - 18:51(Laughter)
-
18:51 - 18:54And I think I have eight children.
-
18:54 - 18:55It's about their future.
-
18:55 - 18:59Every day I see my grandchildren,
about the same age as these young girls, -
18:59 - 19:01and I do wonder,
-
19:01 - 19:03and I get angry sometimes, yes I do.
-
19:03 - 19:05I wonder what is to become of them.
-
19:05 - 19:09And so it's about them
-
19:09 - 19:11that we should be telling everybody,
-
19:11 - 19:13that it's not about
their own national interest, -
19:13 - 19:17because climate change,
regrettably, unfortunately, -
19:17 - 19:21is viewed by many countries
as a national problem. It's not. -
19:21 - 19:24And this is the argument
we got into recently with our partners, -
19:24 - 19:26the Australians and New Zealanders,
-
19:26 - 19:29because they said,
"We can't cut any more." -
19:29 - 19:33This is what one of the leaders,
the Australian leader, said, -
19:33 - 19:37that we've done our part,
we are cutting back. -
19:37 - 19:41I said, What about the rest?
Why don't you keep it? -
19:41 - 19:43If you could keep
the rest of your emissions -
19:43 - 19:46within your boundaries,
within your borders, -
19:46 - 19:47we'd have no question.
-
19:48 - 19:49You can go ahead as much as you like.
-
19:49 - 19:51But unfortunately,
you're sending it our way, -
19:52 - 19:54and it's affecting
the future of our children. -
19:54 - 19:59And so surely I think that is the heart
of the problem of climate change today. -
19:59 - 20:02We will be meeting in Paris
at the end of this year, -
20:02 - 20:06but until we can think of this
as a global phenomenon, -
20:06 - 20:09because we create it,
individually, as nations, -
20:09 - 20:11but it affects everybody else,
-
20:11 - 20:15and yet, we refuse
to do anything about it, -
20:15 - 20:17and we deal with it as a national problem,
-
20:17 - 20:19which it is not -- it is a global issue,
-
20:19 - 20:22and it's got to be
dealt with collectively. -
20:23 - 20:27CA: People are incredibly bad
at responding to graphs and numbers, -
20:27 - 20:31and we shut our minds to it.
-
20:31 - 20:38Somehow, to people, we're slightly better
at responding to that sometimes. -
20:38 - 20:40And it seems like it's
very possible that your nation, -
20:41 - 20:45despite, actually because of
the intense problems you face, -
20:45 - 20:50you may yet be the warning light
to the world that shines most visibly, -
20:50 - 20:52most powerfully.
-
20:52 - 20:55I just want to thank you,
I'm sure, on behalf of all of us, -
20:55 - 20:57for your extraordinary leadership
and for being here. -
20:57 - 20:59Mr. President, thank you so much.
-
20:59 - 21:00AT: Thank you.
-
21:00 - 21:02(Applause)
- Title:
- My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together
- Speaker:
- Anote Tong
- Description:
-
For the people of Kiribati, climate change isn't something to be debated, denied or legislated against — it's an everyday reality. The low-lying Pacific island nation may soon be underwater, thanks to rising sea levels. In a personal conversation with TED Curator Chris Anderson, Kiribati President Anote Tong discusses his country's present climate catastrophe and its imperiled future. "In order to deal with climate change, there's got to be sacrifice. There's got to be commitment," he says. "We've got to tell people that the world has changed."
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 21:15
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for My country will be underwater soon -- unless we work together |