There is a three-ring circus feel to Cancún. On the one hand, I have attended events and forums focused on the opportunities and business responses to a low carbon economy, while, down the road, at the Moon Palace, the diplomats and negotiators have been beavering away on a potential, maybe, possible response to Climate Change. And then, overlaying all of this, are the nation states for whom climate change is a growing and frightening reality.

Whether we like it or not, and whether we believe it is man-made or natural, climate change is already displacing people and affecting many millions in the developing world from the Pacific to sub-Saharan Africa.

At COP16 on Monday, former President of Ireland and Honorary President of Oxfam Mary Robinson gave a poignant speech about the need for Climate Justice. While adaptation and mitigation strategies are discussed for the future, the need is now. We need to address the imminent dislocation of people from low-lying islands and the issues this presents.

While I am sure that the negotiators and diplomats are acutely aware of the plight of some Pacific peoples, that in itself is not motivating states to move faster or care more. What is happening in the Pacific may just as well be happening on another planet to the (aptly named) Moon Palace.

Meanwhile, down the road, at the Pacific Island Countries forum “Taking Action on Climate Change”, the impact of climate change and its implications for our Pacific neighbours are illustrated in graphic images of flooding, contaminated fresh water, erosion, salination of top soil, and all the resulting health and social impacts.

The crux is that climate change in the Pacific is part of New Zealand’s future, whether we like it or not, and probably more directly on our horizon than our neighbour Australia’s. It's something my Ideas Shop colleague Anna Kominik advocates on pretty hard following her experiences in Kiribati. Her message is that we need to work out our action plan before the crisis hits.

It is a view shared by Professor Richard Bedford, Director of Waikato’s University’s Population Studies Centre. He advocated strongly on Kathryn Ryan’s Nine-to-Noon show last month that New Zealand must be more proactive about addressing the impact of climate change on our Pacific neighbours, including Tuvalu, Marshall Islands, Tokelau, and Kiribati. Radio NZ’s Kathryn Ryan also interviewed him on the issue late last month.

In an earlier blog about communicating climate change, I raised questions about how we can tell the climate change story more effectively and focus on what individuals can do. The Pacific situation is a perfect example of an untold story unfolding on our doorstep. One that needs to be communicated better. Surely in Cancún, the Pacific stories should be part of the main conversation about the action we need to take, rather than marginalised to a side event?

It’s hard to be a cynic about climate change when the graphic images of its impact on the people of Kiribati and other low lying Pacific Islands are right there in front of you.