The Commonwealth Secretary-General has appealed to governments of developed countries to travel to Kiribati to witness the country's vulnerability to climate change impacts.
Kamalesh Sharma most recently visited Kiribati last month when he says he saw the devastation caused by the rising tide on an archipelago that largely stands less than two metres above sea level.
He says with the rise in sea level each year, Kiribati will soon be swamped, and that parts of the chain are already facing the sea encroachment with salinated water eroding land.
Mr Sharma says the fact that the the Kiribati President Anote Tong is promoting skills upgrading of his people to prepare them for migration due to climate change is tragic.
He says other governments need to do more to minimise the causes of climate change and mitigate its effects on small island states.