President Obama on Tuesday told the leaders of small island nations that they might find themselves completely submerged because of climate change, and said the world may need to deal with “tens of millions of refugees.”
“I am an island boy,” Obama told leaders of the 39-nation Alliance of Small Island States. “I understand both the beauty but also the fragility,” he said, alluding to his upbringing in Hawaii and Indonesia.
“Some of their nations could disappear entirely and as weather patterns change, we might deal with tens of millions of climate refugees in the Asia Pacific region,” Obama said during his meeting with the group that was part of his trip to Paris for the United Nations climate summit.
Island nations have pushed for compensation for possibly having to move their entire populations, and a climate agreement that’s estimated to slow the rising in global temperatures. Obama is unlikely to deliver on either of these demands.
However, Obama said it’s important that the voices of these island nations are heard during the two weeks of negotiations occurring in Paris, during which the more than 190 nations gathered hope to reach a global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
“Their voice in these negotiations will be absolutely vital,” Obama said. “Their populations are amongst the most vulnerable to the ravages of climate change.”
“These nations are not the most populous nations; they don’t have big armies … but they have a right to dignity and sense of place,” he said. “[T]heir voice is vital in making sure that the climate agreement that emerges here in Paris in not just serving the interest of the most powerful.”
Obama on Tuesday said the U.S. would commit $30 million to risk-insurance schemes established to help poor regions rebuild after climate-related disasters strike.
Among the nations represented in the meeting were Barbados, Fiji, Kiribati, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, St. Lucia and the Seychelles.
