Nailatikau said mass migration to Fiji must be considered if global warming made Kiribati uninhabitable.
"In a worst-case scenario and if all else fails, you will not be refugees," he said.
"You will be able to migrate with dignity. The spirit of the people of Kiribati will not be extinguished, it will live on somewhere else."
Kiribati has a population of approximately 100,000 and absorbing them would be a major challenge for Fiji, which has about 900,000 people, one-third of whom live below the poverty line.
The best scenario for Kiribati involves building sea walls and planting mangroves to repel rising seas, allowing life to continue much as it has for centuries.
In recent years, President Anote Tong has also canvassed the prospect of moving his people to man-made islands, similar to oil rigs, although he concedes it would be an expensive exercise. -AFP
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