It wants their help to launch a World Court lawsuit against Australia and the United States. Australia is the biggest per capita producer of greenhouse gases, and the United States is the world's single biggest polluter of such gases. The two countries were isolated in Johannesburg, as the only two developed countries to refuse to sign the 1997 Kyoto protocol that sets targets for them to cut emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Announcements by China and Russia that they would sign on to Kyoto further underscored the isolation of America and Australia.

Many scientists argue that the melting of the ice caps due to rising global temperatures would push up the sea level, putting small Pacific Islands nations at risk. Tuvalu -- nine atolls rising to no more than around four meters (13.2 feet) above sea level -- is expected to largely drown under the rising sea levels within 50 years, according to some scientific estimates.

These concerns drove Tuvalu, population 12,000, to last year request Australia and New Zealand to open their doors for its citizens to immigrate if they face imminent danger. New Zealand agreed to plan a 30-year immigration program. But Australia's Immigration Minister, Philip Ruddock, said this action was based on speculation.

"Why would I agree with that?" he asked. "I think it is on a 30, 40 or 50-year horizon, if it's going to occur at all.''

Blaming the poor environmental records of Australia and the United States for its plight, Tuvalu now wants to file a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.