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| The capital of the Marshall Islands, Majuro, was inundated by freak waves on 27 November Photo: BBC NEWS |
Climate change: COP25 island nation in 'fight to the death'
The president of an island nation at the forefront of climate change says he is in a "fight to the death" after strange waves flooded the capital.
Powerful waves averaging 5 meters deep fell in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro last week.
But President Hilda Heine said the Pacific nation was battling the rising tide even before last week's disaster.
Political leaders and climate diplomats are meeting in Madrid for two weeks of talks amid growing feelings of crisis.
This conference of the parties, or COP25, was supposed to be held in Chile but was canceled by the government due to weeks of civil unrest.
Spain stepped in to host the event, which will have 29,000 participants in the two weeks of negotiations.
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| Image: BBC News |
The average surface temperature of the world is rising rapidly because human activities release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap heat in the atmosphere, a bit like the glass ceiling of a greenhouse.
At the meeting, Heine commented: "Water covers much of our land at one point or another of the year as we fight the high tides. As we speak, hundreds of people evacuated their homes after great waves caused the ocean to flood parts of our capital. in Majuro last week. "
She added: "It's a fight to the death for those not prepared to flee. As a nation, we refuse to flee. But we also refuse to die."
"With our existence at stake, COP 25 must demonstrate an unprecedented ambition to avoid ecocide."
The COP25 meeting will aim to increase the ambition for all countries to increase their national commitments to reduce emissions. The meeting follows three UN reports that emphasize the growing urgency to limit dangerous climate change.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "the point of no return is no longer on the horizon."
Speaking ahead of the meeting, he said political leaders must respond to the impending climate crisis.
"For the next 12 crucial months, it is essential that we ensure more ambitious national commitments - particularly from major emitters - to immediately start reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a consistent pace to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
"We simply need to stop digging and drilling and take advantage of the vast possibilities offered by renewable energy and nature-based solutions," said Guterres.
Almost every country in the world has already signed and ratified the Paris climate agreement, and under the pact, all will have to put new climate promises on the table before the end of 2020.
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| Image: BBC News |
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