An aerial view of Tarawa atoll, part of the vast archipelago nation of Kiribati.

The survival of some of the world’s most vulnerable Pacific nations depends on world leaders taking action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, according to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd .

Leaders from the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum ended a two day summit , saying world leaders must urgently increase their “level of ambition” to reach a deal at talks in Copenhagen in December to set future emission levels.

The forum includes some of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, including the atoll archipelagos of Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, which rise no more than a few metres above sea level.

source