Tuva-who?

So my last blog was just a brief introduction to the overall topic. I’m now going to talk more about the dangers faced by low-lying island nations. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) stated that sea level rise will affect both coastal ecosystems and economies, and even lead to shifts in islands’ species compositions as a whole. Island nations are at high risk as they, obviously, are completely surrounded by water, meaning a larger proportion of their populations live near a coast. Much of their livelihoods may also revolve around marine-based activities, so sea level rise would affect their economies negatively. Damage to vital resources could also occur, for example contamination of fresh water supplies.

Some of the most vulnerable islands that could potentially inundate if sea level rises are: 

· - The Marshall Islands and Kiribati (two thirds of these islands could submerge if sea level rises by 80cm)
· - The Maldives (85% of the capital could submerge if sea level rises 90cm)
· - Tuvalu, Tonga, The Federated States of Micronesia to name a few, if sea level rises by over a metre

Click here to view a small, interesting article (with pictures!) about which nations face the most threat and what they are trying to do. Many of the islands look like complete paradise - blue skies, clear waters, soft sand... just what you need really. But looks can be deceiving, and sea level rise and climate change will change all this in a few decades, it seems. 

A consideration for some of these island nations is whether they have the capability to cope with the upcoming sea level rise – for e.g. some may not have enough physical space, or higher ground for their inhabitants to retreat to if required. 

Tuvalu, for example, can already feel the effects of sea level rise, with regular inundation of areas of its nine islands every year. The highest point in the country is just 5 metres, the average height overall being 2 metres. 

This article from March earlier this year, tells us how Kiribati may need to buy Fijian land for some of its inhabitants to migrate to as sea levels rise, and the same issue is being faced by other similar countries. 

The video clip below is from the UN, highlighting the effects of sea level rise on Tuvalu and Kiribati, and shows the president of Kiribati’s viewpoint on the matter: 

I shall end this post with some food for thought - yet another concern that emerges from sea level rise, is that of sovereignty, identity, and loss of culture. Losing their land will mean losing their national resources, and losing a place the islanders can essentially call ‘home’. So where can these people actually go? And what will become of their cultures and languages in the future? The past has questioned climate change as a possible cause for the complete collapse of certain civilizations (for example, those of Easter Island). Could this be seen as something similar? Or will the current islanders be able to save themselves before it's too late?