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Climate Change and Human Displacement with Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati

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This conversation explored climate change and migration as part of our 2020 Global Shifts Colloquium: Seeking Refuge in the Climate Emergency.

His Excellency Anote Tong is a world-renowned leader in the battles against climate change and for ocean conservation. Throughout his three terms as President of the Republic of Kiribati he was forced to confront a bleak, all-but-unthinkable future: Unless radical adaptation measures are undertaken, many will be displaced from Kiribati due to climate change. His country may need to resettle its people—not as climate change refugees but as citizens who migrate with dignity.

Since leaving office, he has continued to speak about the realities of climate change; the urgency of the issues; the complexity of the causes and possible solutions; and the stark simplicity of the consequences should we fail to act. Wherever he speaks and whomever he speaks to, his message is consistent: the fate of Kiribati is the fate of the world.

Tong has been awarded honorary Doctorates in Engineering from the National Pukyong University in South Korea and Law from the University of the South Pacific to add to his B.Sc. from Canterbury University and Master’s in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Joshua Keating is a senior editor at Slate focusing on international news, U.S. foreign policy, and the intersection of politics and social science. His first book, Invisible Countries, an exploration of border changes, the creation of new countries, and the future of the world map, was published by Yale University Press in 2018. Before coming to Slate, he was an editor and writer for six years at Foreign Policy. He has reported from countries including Iraq, Somalia, Russia, China, and Haiti. His work has also been published by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Guardian, Politico, Smithsonian Magazine, and Roads & Kingdoms, and he has been featured as a commentator on international affairs on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, the BBC, and Al-Jazeera. A native of New York City and a graduate of Oberlin College, he now lives in Washington, D.C.
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