For world leaders
gathered at COP26 — the United Nations Climate Change Summit, Tuvalu, an island
nation located in Oceania, has an important message. And the message is that
the time to act against climate change is now. While leaders of the world
gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe addressed
the summit from a lectern set up mid-sea, to draw attention to his country’s
struggle against rising sea levels.

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Simon Kofe’s
address to the august UN assembly gathered to chart the future course of
climate action has gone viral on social media. In course of his address, Kofe says
that his statement “juxtaposes the COP26 setting with the real-life situations faced
in Tuvalu due to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise.” The foreign
minister used the platform to highlight the bold action Tuvalu is taking to
address the “very pressing issues of human mobility under climate change.”

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The address was
shown at the climate summit on Tuesday. It was shot by Tuvalu’s public
broadcaster TVBC at the far end of Fongafele, the main islet of capital
Funfunati, according to a government official.

Also Read | World may warm by 2.4°C despite COP26 promises: CAT analysis

The 26th
United Nations conference of parties on climate change (COP26) has seen nearly
40 countries pledge net zero emission deadlines. Net zero is a stage in greenhouse
gas emission when the amount of greenhouse gas emitted into the atmosphere is
equal to the amount removed. The world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases,
including United States and India have set deadlines by when they would seek to
achieve the net zero stage.

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Experts however
advise caution against hope that the promises will deliver the results that
will stave off the worst impacts of climate change. Climate change watchdog CAT
(Climate Action Tracker) recently released a report saying that the world may
warm by 2.4°C at the current rate despite the net zero pledges because of the
immediate impact of emissions on the environment. Scientists believe that
temperature rise above 1.5°C may cause the world to face the worst of climate
change.