Kiribati urged to take radical climate action to survive rising seas

Anote Tong, former president of Kiribati, has called for urgent and radical climate action to save the island nation from rising sea levels, according to illawarramercury.com.au and bendigoadvertiser.com.au.

Kiribati, a group of 32 low-lying atolls with an average height of just two meters above sea level, faces inundation if sea levels rise by 50 centimeters. Mr. Tong noted that during the last high tide, water was already coming over the land, and an increase of half a meter would submerge most of the archipelago.

Mr. Tong emphasized the need for radical adaptation measures, including raising the islands or exploring floating island concepts, and called for technical experts and engineers to develop credible solutions, as reported by bluemountainsgazette.com.au.

He acknowledged the high costs involved and stressed that securing funding has become an emergency. Additionally, Mr. Tong criticized Australia's continued fossil fuel exports and what he described as dismissive attitudes among some Australians toward Pacific climate concerns, especially following the recent pre-COP31 Tuvalu meeting.

Mr. Tong served as Kiribati's president from 2003 to 2016 and now advocates for empathy and urgent action to address the existential threat posed by climate change to his nation.