Samoa Observer, 28th September 2018
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — On the map, their homes are tiny specks in a vast sea of blue, rarely in the headlines and far removed from the centers of power. But for a few days each year, the leaders of small island nations share a podium with presidents and prime ministers from the world's most powerful nations, and their message is clear: Global warming is already changing our lives, and it will change yours too.
Speaking shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump — whose fiery speech made no mention of climate change — Danny Faure told the U.N. General Assembly this week that for his country, the Seychelles, it's already a daily reality.
"We see its effects in our eroding coastlines and unpredictable weather patterns," he said. "We see its effects on our coral reefs and rising sea levels."
The Indian Ocean nation off the east coast of Africa is one of dozens of Small Island Developing States — or SIDS for short — that have been trying to draw attention to what they see as the overarching threat of our time.
"Decades ago, small island developing states warned the world of the risks of climate change, and those were once theoretical threats," said Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands, a sprawling series of atolls in the Pacific Ocean thousands of miles north of Australia.