Island Nations Press Climate Case at UN as Rising Seas Threaten Survival

At the United Nations General Assembly, small island nations are pressing their case as some of their territory disappears under rising seas. Palau President Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr. recently returned to Helen Island with his children after 40 years and found two-thirds of it gone, with burial grounds and cultural heritage swallowed by the ocean. "For us, it's devastating," he said. "It doesn't mean we should give up."

Despite their small size, these nations have banded together to amplify their voices. In 2015, they successfully pushed for the Paris climate agreement to aim for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius instead of 2 degrees, arguing it was a matter of survival. Scientists now say the world is likely to breach that threshold within a year or two, and only drastic cuts to coal, oil and gas use can bring temperatures back down later this century.

"Each fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of irreversible sea level rise," said Anna Rasmussen, chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. "We absolutely cannot surrender our pursuits of 1.5." Joyelle Clarke, environment minister for Saint Kitts and Nevis, put it bluntly when asked what breaching 1.5 degrees means: "Death."

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine told the assembly that small islands did not cause climate change, but are suffering its consequences, including destroyed schools, saltwater intrusion into wells and disease outbreaks. "This injustice must be addressed," she said. "Our communities deserve restitution."

Earlier this week, the UN adopted a resolution affirming that small island states retain sovereignty and marine rights regardless of sea level rise. Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said his nation's sovereignty is not negotiable, while Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko declared, "We're not giving up."

Clarke noted that outsiders often see only paradise, but the beaches they visit are vanishing. She warned that young people are losing hope, questioning why they should care when the world seems indifferent. Whipps echoed that concern, saying some young people are reluctant to have children because of the uncertain future. "That's also something that we need to take responsibility for," he said.