“The adoption of the Paris climate agreement in December 2015 sent a powerful signal about the global consensus over the urgent need to address climate change. Although the agreement was more ambitious than expected, it is still not enough. Now the world must continue to embrace the spirit of Paris and race towards not only implementation of the agreement, but also increasingly bold ideas for the future. One country whose very existence depends on this is the low-lying Marshall Islands, a tiny atoll nation located in the middle of the Pacific. The Marshall Islands spearheaded the ‘High Ambition Coalition’ of countries that has been credited with securing the most ambitious elements of the Paris agreement.

Former British diplomat Carne Ross is the Founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat – the world’s first non-profit diplomatic advisory group – which has worked closely with the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the years leading up to Paris and now on its role with the High Ambition Coalition. Independent Diplomat helps to level the diplomatic playing field between the world’s richest countries, which are often the most egregious polluters, and states like the Marshall Islands, which are both the world’s most vulnerable states to the devastating effects of climate change and among the least likely to be heard at international negotiations.”

Watch Carne’s full talk on Youtube.