(Posted 19th October 2026)
Courtesy of former Seychelles President James Alix Michel / LinkedIn
In three weeks, the world meets in Antalya. The question is simple: will we keep our promises?
I come from a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. For us, climate change has never been a distant theory. It is the tide that rises a little higher each year, the eroding coastlines, the coral that turns white, the change in weather patterns. Small islands have long been the early warning system for our planet.
But what begins on our shores does not stay there.
The floods in great cities, the droughts on farmland, the heatwaves, the increasing wild fires burning down our forests: these all tell the same story. No country, however large or wealthy, is beyond the reach of a warming world. The ocean that surrounds the islands is the same ocean that feeds, cools and connects us all.
From 09th to 20th of November, leaders and negotiators will gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31. It has been called an “Implementation COP”, and rightly so. The world does not need more pledges. It needs delivery.
As COP31 approaches, I hope leaders will keep three things in mind:
• Trust. –
It is built by keeping promises. Commitments on climate finance, adaptation and loss and damage must move from paper to people.
• Fairness. –
The nations that contributed least to this crisis, from small islands to the least developed countries, are often the ones that suffer most. Many are also burdened by debt. A just transition must leave no one behind.
• The ocean. –
It has absorbed much of the heat and carbon we have produced. Protecting it is not a side issue. It is one of our strongest allies in this fight.
Small islands will once again raise their voices in Antalya. But this is not only their cause. It is the cause of every nation that wants a liveable future for its children.
The tide is rising for all of us. Let us rise to meet it, together.
