Fiji, June 5 -- Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr has called for urgent global action on ocean governance and climate change, warning that island nations can no longer afford delays as they face the growing impacts of sea-level rise, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and extreme weather.

Speaking as Co-Chair of the Island States Ocean Summit (ISOS) in Tokyo, Japan, President Whipps told world leaders that small island and low-lying coastal states are bearing the brunt of a climate crisis they did little to create.

Addressing the summit in the presence of Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Whipps spoke on behalf of Palau and the 39 island and low-lying coastal states of the Alliance of Small Island States (AO...