As a ‘son of Hawaii’, climate change is “never threatened”, Barack Obama raises the alarm in the islands. In a speech to COP26 in Glasgow, the former US president argued that such an ambitious agreement in Paris in 2015 would not have happened if the islands had not been heard. But Obama alarmed that “we have not done enough, our islands are more threatened than ever,” and that he is proud that the US administration and President Joe Biden are committed to giving this issue “the attention it deserves.” $ 3 billion to support the most vulnerable countries to climate change.

“We all have a role to play – the former US president continued – we all have work to do, we have to make sacrifices, but those living in the big rich countries have an additional responsibility to ensure that we work and help. The islands, he said, were “in some ways like the canaries of the coal mines,” warning alarm bells that ‘it would be too late if we did not act now’. Then, Obama ended his speech with a Hawaiian proverb: “United to move forward.”

“We are not even close to where we should be: to begin with, despite the progress represented by the Paris Agreement, many countries have failed to implement the action plans adopted six years ago,” Obama reiterated. The former US president added: “When I’m very frustrated, I remember that cynicism is a haven for cowards: we can not be disappointed.”

“It is very disappointing to see the leaders of China and Russia, the two most polluting countries, refusing to even take part in this operation,” he said, reflecting what the “national plans” of these two countries seem to be, and the dangerous lack of urgency in addressing the climate crisis.