Surangel Whipps: “We are blessed to have all this”

For Palau President Surangel Whipps, climate change is not a distant threat that might arrive one day. “Climate change is not something we think will happen. It is already happening, and we experience its consequences every day,” he said.

The effects are visible in ordinary life across the Pacific island nation. Rising sea levels push water over walkways, while high tides now reach the doors of houses. Storms destroy roofs, and nature is changing as well. Palau is experiencing coral bleaching, and extreme heat is causing its jellyfish to disappear.

“

Climate change is not something we think will happen. It is already happening, and we experience its consequences every day.

The interview presents the contrast at the heart of Palau’s situation. The country appears almost paradisiacal in photographs, yet it ranks among the places most threatened by climate change. The article also examines why Palau is demanding stronger climate protection from major states and a different approach to climate finance.

Whipps’s account is framed not as a forecast of future damage, but as a description of a country already managing the consequences of a changing climate.

“

We are blessed to have all this.