WE ARE NO LONGER MEASURING THIS EMERGENCY ONLY IN TONNES OF CARBON EMISSIONS OR THE GLOBAL WARMING BY DEGREES OF CELSIUS

Here in the Pacific Islands, climate change is an existential threat. It is the single greatest threat to our livelihoods, security and well-being. Our economies routinely suffer damages of more than 50 per cent of GDP from climate extremes, taking us back decades in our goals for sustainable development.

BOB LOUGHMAN WEIBUR 

PRIME MINISTER, REPUBLIC OF VANUATU

Worse of all, we are no longer measuring this emergency only in tonnes of carbon emissions or the global warming by degrees of Celsius, but also in human rights violations and lives lost. This is the real face of loss and damage. All of these are happening at just over 1.1°C of global heating and seven years after the Paris Agreement. Imagine the devastation 1.5°C of temperature rise will bring to our Blue Pacific.