The French Polynesian president has admitted that his territory is also among heavy polluters whose emissions should be halved.
Edouard Fritch made the comment in Paris where the COP21 UN climate change conference is underway.
He says the global community needs to take notice of sea-level rise and ever stronger cyclones which threaten to wipe out the history and culture of the people linked to the sea.
French Polynesia's Edouard Fritch at COP21 conference in France Photo: supplied
Mr Fritch says the sea around Pacific countries covers an area twice the size of Europe and absorb the output of the industralised countries
Mr Fritch says he hopes the Paris meeting will bring about an agreement among the world's powerful to help the most vulnerable.
He says French Polynesia is not posing as a victim but also guilty of becoming too reliant on fossil fuel, in particular for interisland shipping.