Rio+20: Life on a Pacific Island

Rio+20: Life on a Pacific Island

Rio+20 (16/06/2012) –Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat talks to Pavilion TV about what life it like for those people living in small communities on island states where they are exposed and vulnerable to natural disasters.

He says the effects of climate change are already being felt in these regions from coastal erosion to the infiltration of drinking water, more frequent heavy rains, drought and the increase of storms and cyclones.

He says small island states have been advocating about this for 20 years now, and as political leaders themselves are beginning to voice their concerns they are now being carried further at these types of global meetings.

In the worst case scenarios he says governments have already had to implement relocation plans for small communities living in coastal regions of islands, a precaution which he warns could become much more frequent.