Vanuatu says cyclones, rising seas are 'human rights issues'

LONDON -- Devastating cyclones, rising seas and the acidification of the ocean: These and other extreme climate events should be viewed as "human rights issues," a senior politician from the tiny Pacific nation of Vanuatu told Nikkei Asia.

The comment from Vanuatu's special envoy on climate change, Bakoa Kaltongga, comes in the run-up to the 2022 U.N. Climate Change Conference, commonly known as COP27, which kicks off in Egypt on Sunday. Issues up for discussion at the mammoth gathering include everything from how to cut greenhouse gas emissions to the best way to support developing nations at risk from climate change.