Fiji's prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, says his government is pondering how to respond to the possible inundation of countries like Kiribati as a result of climate change.
Pacnews reports him asking at the Pacific Islands Conference on Conservation and Protected Areas in Suva whether the i-Kiribati can become dual nationals of Kiribati and Fiji.
He says Fiji is prepared to shoulder some of the fallout of the looming catastrophe for some Pacific Small Island Developing States.
Commodore Bainimarama says if the sea level continues to rise because the world won't tackle global warming, some or all of the people of Kiribati may have to move to Fiji.
He says this would be create an unprecedented scenario - a sovereign country and member of the United Nations simply ceasing to exist in its physical form.
He says Fiji would not turn its back on its neighbours in their hour of need.
Commodore Bainimarama repeated his call made in London two weeks ago for the industrialised nations to take action to set the appropriate carbon emission targets to arrest rising global temperatures.
