Who is he?
Tuvalu’s Assistant Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
Did we speak with him?
No.
Nationality:
Tuvaluan.
What methods does he use?
He observes climate change impacts mostly vis-à-vis flooding. He bases his conclusions off of the general research he does on global warming as well as his own personal experiences on the island. For him, visible evidence is just as powerful (if not more powerful) than scientific analysis.
His take on the controversy:
Laupepa believes without a shadow of a doubt that his country is in danger of disappearing because of global warming induced sea level rise. He maintains that the people of Tuvalu are in no way responsible for climate change, thus is it the international community’s responsibility to fix the situation. He conveys the idea of a dramatic situation using strong emotions and attacking countries such as the US. Laupepa accuses Americans of living ignoring the consequences of their actions and criticizes Australia’s unwillingness to welcome climate refugees.
Quotations:
“How can you tell the American people that the way they live ; having three cars, using so much energy is endangering lots of small countries down the track?”
“The best you can do is strap yourself onto a coconut tree and hope for the best, because that’s the highest point on this land.”
“New Zealand responded positively in the true Pacific way of helping one’s neighbours, Australia on the other hand has slammed the door in our face”
“We don’t want to leave, it’s our land, our God given land, it is our culture, we can’t leave. People won’t leave until the very last minute”.