(Reelected to the parliament in September 2010, Ielemia is in the process of forming a new government and is likely to again serve as prime minister.) On the plus side, the Pacific islands, which have a long tradition of cooperation, began mobilizing on climate change issues in the late 1980s. They established the Pacific Island Forum, the region ’ s most important international organization promoting political and economic development.
這是因為造礁生物（主要是珊瑚蟲，亦有部分為能分泌石灰質的藻類）必須生活在有光照的熱帶及亞熱帶淺海，並且必須在海水清澈又能受到波浪衝擊的地方，因此南、北回歸線之外幾無珊瑚礁。