Obama describes islands as the “canary in the coal mine” at COP26 Summit

• Former U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the threat faced by island nations due to rising sea levels

• He praised current U.S. President Joe Biden for committing to providing $3 billion to support the most vulnerable countries to climate change

In his first address to the delegates attending COP26 Summit, former U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the threat faced by island nations due to rising sea levels. He described islands as the “canary in the coal mine” and called for action on the climate crisis.

At an event on Partnerships for Island Resilience with leaders of island states, Obama acknowledged his Hawaiian heritage and called himself “an island kid”. 

“I have been shaped by my experience growing up in Hawaii and I know that our outstanding governor from Hawaii is here and I'm grateful for all that they've done to protect our islands,” he said.

Obama emphasized the impact of rising sea levels on island nations and said “our islands are threatened more than ever”. He praised the current U.S. President Joe Biden for committing to providing $3 billion to support the most vulnerable countries to climate change. 

Also Read: Biden pledges to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030

Obama highlighted the responsibility of wealthy nations towards making amends for the climate crisis faced by the world. He said that wealthy nations “have an added burden to make sure we are working with and helping and assisting those who are less responsible and less able but more vulnerable to this oncoming crisis”.

Also Read: COP26: 20 countries pledge to end financing for fossil fuel projects abroad

Meanwhile, Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama criticized rich nations who had fallen short of their commitment to providing $100 billion annually by 2020 to poor countries. Bainimarama said that the “rich nations are failing us” and the "U.S.A. is woefully short" on finance, while poorer nations have been told to "suck it up".

In response to this Obama referred to his successor Donald Trump who "maybe wasn't as interested in climate science as I was". He added that there are still people in the US Government who "care about this deeply" despite "the politics in the United States not always being easy".

Knee-deep in seawater

Earlier during the day, island nation Tuvalu's foreign minister, Simon Kofe, gave a speech to the COP26 summit delegates while standing knee-deep in seawater to show how the low-lying nation is on the front of climate change. 

During the video message to the summit, Kofe said, "The statement juxtaposes the COP26 setting with the real-life situations faced in Tuvalu due to the impacts of climate change and sea-level rise and highlights the bold action Tuvalu is taking to address the very pressing issues of human mobility under climate change.

While pictures of the minister standing in a suit and tie have been widely shared on social media, the video is due to be shown on Tuesday as regional leaders push for more aggressive action. 

Read more: COP26 climate pledges could limit global warming to 1.8 °C, IEA says

Inputs from The Guardian

Picture Credits: BBC