The South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has declared a climate emergency. Vanuatu’s Parliament unanimously passed the resolution Sunday, introduced by Prime Minister Bob Loughman, saying the climate catastrophe is “undermining the fundamental human rights of present and future generations.” Speaking to Parliament Sunday, Prime Minister Loughman said Vanuatu is already disproportionately impacted by rising sea levels, devastating tropical cyclones and other severe weather patterns triggered by the climate crisis.

Prime Minister Bob Loughman: “The Earth is already too hot and unsafe. We are in danger now, not just in the future. Catastrophic heat waves and bushfires, droughts and crop failures and cyclones and coastal flooding are affecting Vanuatu and reaching around the globe. Coral systems are dying, and the world is now facing the sixth mass extinction in history.”