Standing in the Sea

In November 2021, at the far end of Fongafale, the main islet of Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu, a man in a suit and tie walked into the sea.

He had rolled up his trouser legs. In front of him, a lectern. Behind him, flags. The water came up to his knees.

His name was Simon Kofe. He was the foreign minister of Tuvalu, a small Pacific country: nine islands and around 12,000 people.

That day, he was recording a message for the world's leaders, gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, for the UN's big climate conference, COP26.

The idea had come to him right away: deliver the statement in the water.

The public broadcaster, TVBC, filmed. They did about three takes. The tide was coming in. The flags and the board behind him began to sway. They had to finish before the sea took everything back.

The spot where he stood was not chosen by chance. It used to be dry land.

Even Tuvalu's prime minister did not know. He knew his minister would make a statement. Not that he would make it in the sea.

The photos went around the world. A minister in a suit, among the waves, behind a lectern.

For Tuvalu, this was no stunt. According to the World Bank, in the western Pacific, sea levels are rising two to three times faster than the global average. Many residents have already moved to New Zealand. The country's tourism website warns that its children "could be the last generation of children to grow up in Tuvalu."

Simon Kofe wanted the world to understand one thing: climate change is not a threat for later. It is already here, under his feet.

A few days later, speaking of the big neighbouring countries that call the Pacific islands their "family," he recalled what that word commits you to:

A small country showed the world its feet in the water. What it asks for is not pity. It is for neighbours to remember they belong to the same family.