The Pacific Islands Forum has ended with a plea for more to be done about climate change – or else low lying nations will soon disappear.
The Marshall Islands, where the forum is being held, is so desperate for space it's using rubbish to create new land.
The highest point on the islands is known by locals as Rubbish Mountain – but rubbish is not just a dominant feature there, it is prevalent everywhere on the atoll.
"Being a small island far away in the middle of the Pacific, it's a challenge to deal with the rubbish," says general manager of Majuro Waste Joerlik Tibon, "You're looking at the future land of the atoll."
"We extend the land, put in a sea wall, then fill up the space with rubbish."
But that's got its own environmental problems and it's a very temporary measure in a long-uncertain crisis.
Pacific leaders using the forum to draw attention to rising sea levels are urging for more to be done.
"We still consider Australia and New Zealand to be our big brothers in the south - two that must take more positive and open leadership," says Marshall Islands' Minister in Assistance Tony DeBrum.
But John Key isn't warming to that.
"We're doing a number of different things and think we're heading in the right direction - but I wouldn't expect a change," says Mr Key.
Another issue all locals are wary of is a tsunami. In the event of that happening, the advice is get to high ground.
Mount Rubbish is probably out of the question for Mr Key, so what have his advisors got planned if one were to occur - flee to his air force jet?
"No, the plane's in Solomon Islands, [we] couldn't park it up here because the runway isn't long enough. It's a three hour flight so we'll all be getting wet," says Mr Key.
Behind the scenes officials say the big emitters are far more concerned about their own economies - and because reducing greenhouse gas emissions is expensive, little is likely to change.
3 News
source: newshub archive
