Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From renewable energy to restoring blue forests, we have all we need to protect people and the planet from the climate crisis. The most polluting countries should follow the example of many island nations and take climate action now.
Ambassador Ronny Jumeau, in conversation with EJF, highlights how island nations are leading the way in the protection of seagrasses and mangroves, two of the most important 'blue carbon' ecosystems which collectively sequester more than half the ocean’s carbon, despite occupying 0.2% of the seafloor.
Many islands rely heavily on marine-based tourism and fisheries. Based on current policies and commitments, and assuming they are upheld, global heating will reach 2.9°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. This is well above the 2°C threshold at which the IPCC predict more than 99% of coral reefs will disappear, leaving the islands with no economic future. Droughts on islands, requiring water to be imported from other nations, are also increasingly common.
Culturally and personally, too, the climate crisis is having a disproportionate impact on island nations. Ambassador Jumeau explains that islanders view themselves as “children of the ocean”, and this cultural connection to the sea persists throughout one’s life, valued so much that the ocean is like a relative, and when the ocean is sick it is personally hurtful.
The ocean represents an entire way of life, culture and identity. When it is harmed, this harm is deeply felt among the people of island nations too; “it is like you are coating us with slime, with oil, with plastics, it cuts to the core of who we are”. Islanders are rightly angry that this fundamental relationship is endangered by the actions of other nations.
We must follow the example of these nations, which have contributed so little to causing the climate crisis, are suffering some of its most intense impacts, and are working the hardest to resolve it. We must not allow the narrowing window for successful climate action to slam shut. We must reach zero carbon globally by 2035.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is an international NGO working to defend our shared natural environment and human rights: ejfoundation.org
Subscribe to EJF: youtube.com/channel/UCymOLQE4_vBQBzUKXTBfYwQ
Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/EJFoundation
Facebook: facebook.com/ejfoundation
Instagram: instagram.com/ejfoundation
From renewable energy to restoring blue forests, we have all we need to protect people and the planet from the climate crisis. The most polluting countries should follow the example of many island nations and take climate action now.
Ambassador Ronny Jumeau, in conversation with EJF, highlights how island nations are leading the way in the protection of seagrasses and mangroves, two of the most important 'blue carbon' ecosystems which collectively sequester more than half the ocean’s carbon, despite occupying 0.2% of the seafloor.
Many islands rely heavily on marine-based tourism and fisheries. Based on current policies and commitments, and assuming they are upheld, global heating will reach 2.9°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. This is well above the 2°C threshold at which the IPCC predict more than 99% of coral reefs will disappear, leaving the islands with no economic future. Droughts on islands, requiring water to be imported from other nations, are also increasingly common.
Culturally and personally, too, the climate crisis is having a disproportionate impact on island nations. Ambassador Jumeau explains that islanders view themselves as “children of the ocean”, and this cultural connection to the sea persists throughout one’s life, valued so much that the ocean is like a relative, and when the ocean is sick it is personally hurtful.
The ocean represents an entire way of life, culture and identity. When it is harmed, this harm is deeply felt among the people of island nations too; “it is like you are coating us with slime, with oil, with plastics, it cuts to the core of who we are”. Islanders are rightly angry that this fundamental relationship is endangered by the actions of other nations.
We must follow the example of these nations, which have contributed so little to causing the climate crisis, are suffering some of its most intense impacts, and are working the hardest to resolve it. We must not allow the narrowing window for successful climate action to slam shut. We must reach zero carbon globally by 2035.
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is an international NGO working to defend our shared natural environment and human rights: ejfoundation.org
Subscribe to EJF: youtube.com/channel/UCymOLQE4_vBQBzUKXTBfYwQ
Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/EJFoundation
Facebook: facebook.com/ejfoundation
Instagram: instagram.com/ejfoundation
