Who are they?
Bikenibeu Paeniu: 1996-1999
Koloa Talake: 2001-2002
Saufatu Sopoanga: 2002-2004
Maatia Toafa: 2004-2006
Willy Telavi: 2010-present
Did we speak with them?
No.
Important speeches on the controversy:
Speech of Bikenibeu Paeniu at the Kyoto conference, 8 december 1997, click here.
Speech of Saufatu Sopoanga in New York at the 58th Session of the UN General Assembly, 24 September 2003, click here.
Speech of Maatia Toafa at the 59th Session of the UN General Assembly, New York 24 September 2004, click here.
Their take on the controversy:
The Prime Ministers of Tuvalu have actively been involved in promoting awareness of their country’s vulnerability in the face of global warming. They have been vocal in their belief that their country is in danger of disappearing due to rising sea levels caused by the greenhouse effect. In 2002, Koloa Talake planned to sue the United States and Australia for damages to Tuvalu due to their high production of carbon dioxide. The case was ultimately not pursued by Prime Minister Sopoanga.
Quotations:
“For the people of low-lying small island states of the world, however, and certainly of my small island country of Tuvalu in the Pacific, this is no longer a debatable argument. The impacts of global warming on our islands are real, and are already threatening our very survival and existence.” Prime Minister Paeniu at Kyoto Convention on Climate Change.