The tiny Pacific island state of Tuvalu has urged the rest of the world to do more to combat global warming before it sinks beneath the ocean.
The group of atolls and reefs, home to about 10,000 people, is barely two metres on average above sea level.
One study has predicted that at the current rate the ocean is rising, Tuvalu could disappear in the next 30 to 50 years.
Coral reefs are being damaged by the warming ocean, and this threatens fish stocks
The sea is increasingly invading underground fresh water supplies,
Annual spring tides appear to be getting higher each year, eroding the coastline
mounting ferocity of cyclones
another island state in the area was buffeted by waves three years ago that crashed over its 30-metre cliffs.
We'll try and maintain our own way of living on the island as long as we can
New Zealand that it is prepared to take in people from the islands.
But Australia, the other major economy in the region, has only given vague commitments.
clipped from: www.abc.net.au