Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Satyendra Prasad.

Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Satyendra Prasad, likens the natural catastrophes in the country and the people having to flee their homes to live in a conflict zone.

Speaking at the Global Shifts Colloquium in New York, titled “Islands on the Climate Front Line: Risk and Resilience,” Prasad says the feeling of climate change is a feeling of war.

“It feels as if you have declared war on us, on our right to exist as sovereign, autonomous, independent states. Being forced in time to choose to relocate. “

He says it is not some distant challenge for Fiji, but one it faces right now.

Prasad urged policymakers at every level to make it a priority to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

The one-day event featured roundtable discussions with island ambassadors to the United Nations as well as climate activists from around the world.