A lecture and report on environmental issues was given by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Apisai Ielemia and other government officers of Tuvalu on Friday, December 7th at Tachikawa Hall on the Ikebukuro Campus.
Global warming and environmental destruction are becoming the biggest issues in the 21st century. One of the lowest countries on earth (maximum of just five meters above sea level) Tuvalu is in danger as sea levels are expected to rise in the near future, tropical storms may be more powerful, and its protective coral barrier has been degraded due to bleaching linked to higher water temperatures.
Prime and Foreign Minister Ielemia and other government officers were invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and brought up discussions on the importance of environmental issues.
Rikkyo University is currently planning to promote an environmental education project in Tuvalu for high school and college students, with cooperation from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and St. Hilda's School.