21/07/2019

Former President Of Kiribati Tells SF To Step Up Fight As Climate Change Threatens To Swallow His Island Country

San Francisco Chronicle - 

This file photo taken on September 7, 2011 shows then Kiribati President Anote Tong in Auckland. Photo: AFP / Getty Images
Nestled in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is Kiribati — a country destined to be doomed, and eventually erased, by climate change. Scientists, the United Nations and even its former president, Anote Tong, all agree: The small island home to 116,000 people will be engulfed by rising sea levels.
It was shortly after taking office in 2003 that he realized the peril his country was in, Tong said in an interview with The Chronicle at the Fairmont hotel in San Francisco.
“The responsibility of my country fell squarely on my shoulders,” Tong said. “When the science started coming in, it was a matter of urgency.”
That science showed how “the results of sea level rise and increasing storm surge threaten the very existence and livelihoods of large segments of the population” in Kiribati, according to a United Nations report from August 2015.
In this March 30, 2004 file photo, Tarawa atoll, Kiribati, is seen in an aerial view. Photo: Richard Vogel / Associated Press
Tong would become renowned around the world as the man leading a country that could soon cease to geographically exist.
He’s in San Francisco this week to speak at the Climate and Ocean Conservation event at Salesforce Tower on Wednesday night. The event gathers CEOs and leaders from over 230 corporations to discuss and explore “climate resilience and ocean conservation.”
Tong caught the world’s attention when he purchased approximately 20 square kilometers of land in Fiji in 2014 — a purchase he describes as an “investment,” a place his people can migrate to just in case his people need it.
Some of Tong’s constituents were upset with him for suggesting an impending migration from their homeland.
“The media went on to extrapolate that I’m moving my people to Fiji, but I never, ever said that,” Tong said. “I had no plans to move people... but somebody else in the future might need to do it.”
The purchase also sent a worldwide message.
“It was a very loud statement to the international community,” Tong said. “They were not listening. And if you’re not listening, then you will never do anything for us.”
He’s now sending a statement to CEOs in the Bay Area, reminding them that companies can either be “complicit or helpful” in stopping the further warming of the planet.
Tong said one man does seem to be particularly silent and dismissive on the issue of climate change: President Trump.
“I’ve been disappointed by his lack of climate change initiative,” Tong said. “But he was elected... and people need to choose for themselves who they think will be strong on this.”
Since leaving office in 2016, he has spent his time speaking to leaders around the world on the global efforts needed to save countries like his own.
Tong said he admires the environmental awareness prevalent in San Francisco, but he said tech companies in Silicon Valley need to step up to expedite progress in combating climate change.
“This is a battle we’re in —a huge, unprecedented battle,” Tong said. “I wonder if these companies can use their resources to change our world for the better.”
When he visits cities like San Francisco, Tong said he sees potential to counteract the current administration’s policies.
“Your federal government isn’t helping, but that’s when cities like San Francisco and other states in your country step in,” Tong said.
In terms of specific changes he wants to see happen, Tong refers to the need for a rapid global response.
“Climate change is only now becoming known as a fight for the survival of humanity,” Tong said. “When I come here to speak, I also come here to inspire people to act quickly.”

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