Anote Tong, Former President of Kiribati | Climate advocacy, exported emissions & our collective survival

"There is no doubt in my mind that if we continue on the path we are going, there will come a time when we will have no choice but to come together to deal with climate change, but by then it would be far too late." - Mr Anote Tong, Former President of the Republic of Kiribati.  

Join me from the conclusion of the Climate Investor Forum, held by Climate Zeitgeist, for this short interview with the Special International Guest, having just completed his keynote and on-stage discussion with Peter Castellas, the dinner session being opened by Sally Capp.  

Regularly speaking on the world stage, Mr Tong has been a stalwart of bringing climate change onto the global agenda, calling for a moratorium on new coal mines in 2015, saying "Let us join together as a global community and take action now" - though well before that, hosting Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General in the atoll nation of Kiribati, speaking with Pope Francis, Former US President Barack Obama and at the COP meetings.

Kiribati is an average of 2 metres above sea level, to which the IPCC has stated with many other pacific islands, will likely be submerged within coming decades.  

To this end, Mr Tong has brought 'Migration with dignity' into discussion, being quoted as saying "We are being told that we may have to abandon our islands, the places where our ancestors have been buried, where our children have a home."

Anote is a passionate believer in family and respectful collective action, his work includes overseeing the creation the largest protected marine area in the world, 480,250 square kilometers, known as the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), and later adopted as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

".. so as long as we continue on the path that we are heading, then we will continue to be headed towards this catastrophe. And I can assure you, once that catastrophe comes around the corner, there will be no politicians, there will be no partitions, there's no division, because it's going to be a rush for survival. And we'll all be together on this.." - Anote Tong.

Thank you to the sponsors of the Climate Investor Forum, and Michele Hartz for supporting Peter in the organisation:

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