[2] He drew international attention for his speeches warning about the effects of the rising sea level on Tuvalu and other low-lying island countries.

[3] During his time at the Ministry of Natural Resources, he facilitated visits by foreign geologists after Tuvalu became a member of the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission in 1984.

[3] After being elected Prime Minister, Sopoanga announced his intention to create a plan to improve education and healthcare in Tuvalu.

He attended a United Nations Sustainable Development summit in Johannesburg in September 2002, where he warned that Tuvalu would be completely submerged in 50 years due to global warming-related increases in sea level.

[3] On 24 September 2003, Sopoanga delivered a speech to the United Nations General Assembly which outlined issues facing Tuvalu on its 25th anniversary of independence, such as economic underdevelopment.

[12] Due to this instability, Sopoanga personally voiced support for making Tuvalu a republic with a directly-elected head of government.

The governor-general had already issued a notice on 19 June ordering the election of a speaker,[14] which was won by opposition MP Faimalaga Luka.

One of the government members was sick in New Zealand, and the Speaker Otinielu Tausi voted with the opposition due to a disagreement over Sopoanga's financial policies.