Tuvalu foreign minister addresses COP26 knee-deep in seawater

Standing knee-deep in seawater, Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simone Kofe delivered his address to the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, urging the need for action before island nations like his are rendered underwater by climate change and rising sea levels.

“In Tuvalu, we are living the reality of climate change and sea level rise, as you stand watching me today at COP26. We cannot wait for speeches when the sea is rising around us all the time,” he said in his video address, as the camera gradually zoomed out from a close-up of him, to reveal him standing in the sea.

“Climate mobility must come to the forefront. We must take bold alternative action today, to secure tomorrow,” he said.

The video message has since gone viral.

Calling climate change and sea level rise an existential threat to low-lying countries like Tuvalu, he said, “We are sinking. But so is everyone else.”

"In Tuvalu, our islands are sacred to us. They contain the mana of our people. They are the home of our ancestors. They are the home of our people today. We want them to remain the home of the people in the future."

Many island nations were unable to physically send their representatives to COP26, owing to pandemic restrictions and the higher cost of travel these days.

In a similar display, several children from Tuvalu posed with placards while standing in the sea, demanding strong climate action.

One twitter user pointed out the similarity between Kofe’s action and a 2011 art installation in Berlin.