Situation in Sinking Tuvalu Scary, Says PM

Low-lying nations such as Tuvalu are slowing slipping under the waves and only dramatic steps, such as legal action against big polluter the United States, might stem the tide, Tuvalu Prime Minister Maatia Toafa said on Thursday.

His tiny South Pacific nation is a cluster of islands and atolls with a land area of just 26 square kilometres (10 sq mile). Land where he fished as a child is now under water. He blames global warming.

Tuvalu, just like the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, feels they are victims of energy-hungry economies, such as the United States, Europe and Asia whose industries and transport belch vast amounts of greenhouse gases into the air.

Planet Ark