Small island states used the UN General Assembly to press world leaders not to drop the 1.5C warming target. Palau's president described losing two-thirds of Helen Island to rising seas, including family burial sites. Marshall Islands leaders pointed to destroyed schools, saltwater in wells, and disease outbreaks tied to environmental change. The article also covers a new UN resolution aimed at preserving the sovereignty and maritime rights of island states even if sea level rise redraws coastlines. Tuvalu's prime minister noted the country has just 26 square kilometers of land but manages 750,000 square kilometers of ocean space. The 1.5C limit was secured largely by small island states in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Negotiators argue every fraction of a degree raises the risk of irreversible sea level rise, and the piece frames the issue as a political commitment as much as a scientific one.
