In October I was chosen as a representative of Wollongong's Catholic Education Office as part of a delegation for the Pacific Calling Partnership.
This is a non-profit organisation which recognises Australia's ecological debt to low-lying Pacific nations.
The delegation travelled to Kiribati, a nation made up of a group of islands that straddle the equator. The purpose of our trip was to witness the impact climate change is having on the environment and its people, and meet President Anote Tong.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen has increased awareness of climate change. But most people are unaware of the humanitarian issues affecting Kiribati and other low-lying Pacific nations.
The Pacific Islands contribute only .06 per cent to global warming compared to Australia - the second biggest contributor per capita outside the United States. Yet they are most affected by climate change, due to the threat of rising sea levels.
President Anote Tong said "the island is in an extremely vulnerable situation. My people are facing the realistic possibility of losing their homes, culture and identity."
Through the use of satellite images and data, it is predicted that by the 2070s, normal tide levels in Kiribati will rise up to 3.1m - the island's highest point is just 2m above sea level.
These predictions will mean vast areas of Tarawa, Kirabati's main island where 40 per cent of the total population lives, will be wiped out.
This tropical oasis has already been hit hard by climate change, with flooding, coastal erosion and the salinisation of soil and water.
Some villages have already run out of fresh water and rely on supplies from neighbours.
"The world looks at Australia as a leader and a big brother to the nations in the Pacific," President Tong said.
"We are praying for a change of policy on climate change from the US and Australian governments."
Australia has a central role in the Pacific in ensuring that the people of nations such as Kiribati are heard and their needs responded to.
"For years we have been screaming at the world to listen and help us," he said.
"For Kiribati nothing will change with carbon reductions - it's too late. But the attitude of the rest of the world towards our people needs to change.
"The situation here will become more serious very quickly." Although survival on Kiribati is becoming more difficult every day, nobody wants to leave their island home.
President Tong said relocation was "a last resort". He believes education and training for his people are of the utmost importance, so when the time came to leave, they could go with pride and as contributing members of society, not as refugees.
At Copenhagen, the issue of climate change should be about saving human lives, not about the cost involved in doing so.
"My priority at Copenhagen is for the survival of my grandchildren and people. Other countries can deal with the other political issues," President Tong said.
"Kiribati is the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. We need to remember that to remain a human being means to remain compassionate towards others.
"The world needs to look at its values and remember what is important in life."
Josie Cooks works at St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School, Wollongong.
Email a friend