Speech On The Beach With The Podium Submerged In Seawater, Foreign Minister Of Tuvalu Shows The Real Impact Of Climate Change

Simon Kofe delivered a speech for COP26 while standing at sea. (Antara/Courtesy Tuvalu's Ministry of Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs via Reuters/as)

JAKARTA - The Foreign Minister of Tuvalu drew attention when his speech at the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, was delivered in an unusual way, submerged on one of the country's beaches.

Foreign Minister Simon Kofe delivered a speech in lat water which soaked him to his knees, made him roll up his pants, including the podium he was using which was also submerged in seawater, showing how the low-lying Pacific island nation is at the forefront of climate change.

Images of Simon Kofe standing in a suit and tie on a podium set up in the sea, with his trouser legs rolled up, have been widely shared on social media, drawing attention to Tuvalu's struggle against rising sea levels.

"The statement juxtaposes the arrangement of COP26 with the real-life situation faced in Tuvalu, due to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, highlighting the bold actions that Tuvalu is taking to address the pressing issues of human mobility under climate change," Kofe told the video message to the conference. , citing Reuters November 8.

The video was recorded by public broadcaster TVBC at the tip of Fongafale, the main island of the capital Funafuti, a government official said. This video was shown at the climate summit, as regional leaders push for more aggressive action to limit the impacts of climate change.

To note, many major polluters have pledged to intensify their carbon reductions over the coming decades with some aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

But Pacific Island leaders are demanding immediate action, pointing out that the very survival of their lowland nations is at stake.