Climate activist Lavetanalagi Seru has been watching Covid-19 case numbers rise in the UK ahead of the UN climate conference beginning on Sunday, and it scares him — even though he’s been vaccinated.

But the campaigner from the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network is determined to travel from his home in Fiji to Scotland to bring attention to the plight of island nations being battered by climate change.

“It’s a scary time to be travelling,” he said. “But I’m putting my health at risk to make sure Pacific Island states are heard.″

Despite the concerns of some of the delegates from around the world, the British government decided to hold an in-person conference, arguing that world leaders must act now to prevent catastrophic global warming — and that they will be more effective if they can talk face-to-face.

Read the full AP story here.