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Feb 282 min read

THINGS ARE NOT GOING SWIMMINGLY.





Sara Zajicova -

 

“We are sinking” proclaimed Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe, delivering his COP26 speech, knee-deep in water. 


Tuvalu is one of a number of Pacific islands that are imminently threatened by rising sea levels. Sea level rise is caused primarily by melting ice and the thermal expansion of warming water, both inevitably resulting from global climate change. Furthermore, research has shown that sea levels are rising faster than the global average in the Pacific. This, combined with the high number of islands, is what makes this a particularly pressing problem for the Pacific region. 


The issue of rising sea levels is existential. Lower lying islands, like Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Marshall islands or the Solomon islands, are at risk of disappearing entirely - culturally and geographically. Fearing the loss of its heritage and history, Tuvalu has even decided to upload a copy of itself to the Metaverse, to preserve a record if - or when - the island nation disappears. 


Even island nations that are not imminently in danger of disappearing, like the Philippines, are being heavily impacted by rising sea levels. Often coupled with flooding, rising sea levels can have an outsized impact on land loss, threatening both agriculture and human residences, not to mention damaging critical infrastructure. Moreover, the mitigating measures needed to combat increasing sea levels (e.g. building flood barries and flood-proofing equipment) are often both expansive and expensive - costing resources that that many smaller island nations simply do not have. Even with funding from the United Nations or other international partners, the economic pressure Pacific states face is notable, especially when coupled with costs posed by more and more frequent dangerous weather events (tied to climate change), such as cyclones and typhoons. This year’s El Niño, (a recurring cyclical increase in tropical temperatures that often leads to changes in weather patters), is also exasperating the impacts of sea level rise. 


In the longer-term, as rising sea levels make life on the Pacific islands more and more difficult, the world may also have to grapple with a wave of climate-related migration. As global temperatures rise and the impacts of climate change are felt more intensely, millions of people will most likely be displaced from regions that will become uninhabitable. Though not currently officially covered by international refugee law, the concept of “climate refugees” is being increasingly raised by international organizations and advocates. This is commonly connected with desertification in the Middle East and parts of Africa, but it also holds true for island communities, such as those found in the Pacific. Some Pacific islands may have a century - but some, like Tuvalu, may only have decades. What will happen to Pacific Islanders when their homes are gone?


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