However, President Anote Tong said his 100,000 citizens wanted to be accepted with dignity, not as so-called climate change refugees.

He pitched an ambitious scheme for the international community to train Kiribati people to allow them to integrate into countries like Australia without resentment.

''Give us the skills so we can come and do the jobs you don't want to do or cannot do or we can do better,'' he said.

''We don't want to cry, 'receive us, receive us', we want to say we want to come here with our skills.

''We prefer to come as dignified aspiring citizens.

''That's better received than if we are just shouting for attention to be transported here.''

Mr Tong told an audience at the Australian National University the media gave polar bears more attention than the plight of his people.

''We are trying to attract international attention and in terms of the Government of this country I have been doing my utmost to try to change them,'' he said.

''This requires a commitment and we have been calling for this at international fora, to very little avail, very few people are listening.

''We are a prime example of why the world needs to kick the carbon habit.''

The Labor Party adopted a national platform last year urging the international community to accept climate change refugees from islands being inundated as a result of global warming.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said Mr Rudd and Mr Tong discussed the ''very significant challenges'' facing Kiribati but did not refer specifically to accepting immigrants.

The islands of Kiribati are less than 2m above sea level and predicted to disappear in 50 to 60 years as the ice caps melt due to global warming.

The Kiribati people could lose their culture unless they could establish communities in Australia and other countries, Mr Tong said.

He said some areas in his country that were lush when he was a child were now inundated by seawater.

He showed a graphic video in which storm-driven waves washed over seawalls of the low-lying country.

New Zealand has agreed to take 75 people from Kiribati each year.

Mr Tong said some of his citizens believed that God would not allow their islands to be inundated.

However, he believed the end was inevitable and had shouted in frustration at United Nations meetings when his message had not been heard.