Tuvalu's PM hopes Trump will keep US in Paris agreement

Transcript

ENELE SOPOAGA: It's quite a worrying scenario for us vulnerable countries like Tuvalu. We certainly hope that the Trump administration would reconsider and remain with us to work together. Big countries and small countries, this is a global issue and therefore it requires a global response, particularly strong leadership coming from the leadership of the world, and certainly I hope - and I know, perhaps - that within the next week I'm sure the White House will reconsider the importance of us working together and remaining in the Paris agreement for the sake of everybody -- not only the economies, but more importantly to save everybody including the people of America. That is my prayer, and I do hope that the leadership in the Trump administration would consider that for the sake to save the US people, to save Tuvalu, and save the rest of the world because we don't have any other option. 

JAMIE TAHANA: What would be the consequences were he to make the decision to leave the Paris accord?

ES: I think it is symbolically very damaging to our collective leadership for our future generations, the youth of every nation would look at this as very destructive leadership, leaving the pact, because this is the future of our young people and their children and their families in the future, and island countries like Tuvalu would see this as very damaging leadership, very destructive and obstructive and therefore quite discouraging. But my strong hope [is] that we come to our senses to take on our responsibilities as leaders of the world trying to aspire for more secure, sustainable and happy livelihoods. Walking away from this would be a serious defeat to multilateralism, a serious defeat to humanity, and it would be a great shame for us as human beings to walk away from these instruments that we worked so hard to achieve in Paris 2015.

JT: Are the people of Tuvalu watching what's happening in the United States with these climate decisions quite closely? Because, of course, you can't really deny that the US is quite important in what happens.

ES: Absolutely. Absolutely. We see this box in front of our eyes every day with BBC and CNN and all these beaming into the houses of our families. For Tuvalu, having worked together with the United States during the Second World War, Tuvalu contributed to working with the US to address the enemy in those days, it is letting us down now we are facing a different enemy that is really real and threatening to the lives of people. These positions from the White House sort of giving the people a very uncertain future and a feeling of distress and distrust on the whole idea of big countries helping. It's really distressing to see this.