Introduction
Anote Tong, the former president of Kiribati, is a global leader in addressing the impacts of climate change. For over two decades, President Tong has been at the forefront of the global fight against climate change, raising international awareness about the plight of vulnerable island nations and championing the cause of climate refugees.
In 2015, he received the Sunhak Peace Prize for his dedication and passionate leadership in addressing the impacts of climate change in island nations.
In an exclusive interview conducted in Seoul, South Korea, we had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with President Tong, delving into his motivations, notable achievements, and his vision for a sustainable future.
Here is Part 1 of the interview.
Interview with Anote Tong, 2015 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate
May 4th, 2023
Jamsil Lotte Hotel, Seoul, Korea
Q1: You have been a strong advocate for environmental sustainability and climate change action for more than two decades. What keeps you motivated to keep going on the same issue for such a long time?
Why do I keep doing this? One has to understand where we come from and how vulnerable our islands are. We are barely two meters above sea level. When the tides are very high, sometimes the waves are coming over the land and destroying our food crops. Our homes with it become very severe. I wish I could show you a video I took of what happened to my home at the beginning of this year in March. The waves were coming over the sea wall, coming into the front of my door. That is what is happening.
What drives me is because I see this happening and I’m beginning to understand that it’s no longer part of the normal cycle. Seeing that and reading the scientific reports out of the IPCC, plus other research, clearly indicate that something is terribly wrong.
People ask me, do you see the sea level rise? And the answer is yes. Over the last two, three decades I’ve seen the water rising. The waves never used to come onto my place. Now they are coming. According to the predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it’s going to get worse.
So it’s about survival for our people. It’s about the future of my grandchildren. I’ve got a lot of grandchildren and it’s about the future of the grandchildren – all the young people in cubes(?) and in other parts of the Pacific region and other parts of the world. We cannot keep quiet; we have to step forward because nobody has been doing it.
Now we are getting a lot more climate action. But it was not the case when I started doing this. The momentum of climate action is increasing, but the cause of climate change, emissions, continue to go up. That is not being dealt with. So we still have a lot of work to do in order to avoid future catastrophe.
Q2: One of your most notable achievements to mitigate climate change was creating the Phoenix Island Protection Area. Can you tell us about its goals and results?
It was also a very loud statement to the international community to tell the international community that it is serious. If they will not do anything about it, then we will do whatever we can to prepare for it. Eventually it is a safety net if and when we have to leave our home islands at least we have a place to go. I was heavily criticized for it, but I don’t think I was wrong. Until today as an investment I think the value has gone up as a safety net. It remains available for when it becomes necessary.
Q3: The issue of climate change is also very closely related to human rights and climate refugees. Can you describe how you feel like climate change is related to human rights?
It’s very simple. It’s caused by what other people are doing. People who are making a lot of money out of this, they’re benefiting tremendously from building up their wealth, their power base. But in the process, we are suffering as a result of that. The developed countries are enjoying a very wonderful lifestyle. At what cost we will be paying for the ultimate price of losing our home into the future. Absolutely it is a human rights issue.
Q4: When you spoke at the UN, you once mentioned polar bears, which left a big impression on us. Can you reiterate what you said about polar bears and do you think this still holds true?
It was part of my frustration and a reaction. Nobody was listening to what I was saying on climate change. Then I saw this article in the National Geographic about how climate change was endangering the future of polar bears because it’s destroying their habitat. I thought, these people are worried about the polar bears but they’re not worried about people. Polar bears are white, we are brown – that was also part of the statement, the north south division.
In a sense, climate change is perhaps a war between the rich and the poor. It’s the rich that are deriving the benefits, it’s the poor that are paying the price. The color issue is hopefully a hidden message for those who would bother to dig up the message. So you go with a deeper message. The deeper message was that it was the rich, mostly people in the north. People in the south really are the ones that are suffering.
Q5: What do you think would be the most crucial form of assistance that the climate refugees would need?
I’ve always advocated a concept of migration with dignity. What it entails is a preparation of the people knowing that there would be climate induced migration. The international community is still focusing on the emission levels. I think we’re beyond that. We know that people are already being displaced. So let’s deal with that. We need to educate these people so that they know what to expect when they go, wherever they go, so they don’t become a problem to society. There is mutual integration, mutual respect and harmony.
Q6: You were inaugurated as the Global Vice President of Sun Moon University in South Korea. Can you share your vision in working and collaborating with Sun Moon University?
I’ve always believed that the greatest part of education is actually going into a new environment because every time you travel, you’re out of your comfort zone. Becoming comfortable in a zone where you’re not comfortable is actually the most challenging part of the education, and I believe it’s the greater part of the education. Opening out the new outlet will open the wider world, give us a wider vision, hopefully a 360 vision of the world. I’d like to see more of our people coming here, learning the language, learning the culture.
My appointment as one of the Global Vice Presidents opens possibilities for me. The idea that we can get some of our people in our part of the world to come here to learn and share what it is that they learned from this side of the Pacific Ocean.
Q7: Are there any last words that you would like to share with us?
We have to be persistent in addressing the challenges that we face. At the same time, there will be times when you become so challenged that you want to give up. On the issue of climate change, I’ve faced that many times, but I realize that this is not something that we could ever give up on because giving up is never an option. The reason is because the price is just too much. So, we have to find a solution.
Quotation:
I have not found a solution yet, but I have absolute confidence that the solution is there. I know that with more things, with the impacts of climate change getting worse, the opinions of people are changing.
In Australia, the bushfires of 2019-2020 were the biggest bushfire they’ve ever experienced. Last year they had floods. The public opinion now regards climate change at the top of the agenda. Climate change is not in a good shape. It will keep coming, whatever administration, whatever party is in government. Hopefully we can see beyond our own agenda on this issue. And indeed look at the wider question of not just my country, not just me, not just my political career, but about the future.
Interview with Anote Tone – Part 2
https://sunhakpeaceblog.com/interview-with-anote-tone-part-2/?_thumbnail_id=3855
