Rising sea levels force Pacific islanders to evacuate

The entire population of a Pacific island could soon face the prospect of evacuation. The President of the island of Kiribati has announced that rising sea levels mean the future for the Kiribati people may lay in Fiji.

President Anote Tong’s remarks came last Wednesday, and the Kirbati government is said to be in negotiations to purchase up to 5,000 acres of land on the Fijian islands of Vanua Levu for the 100,000 Kiribati citizens to relocate to.

Kiribati is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change, made up of 32 coral atolls, and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres.

“This is the last resort, there’s no way out of this one,” said President Tong. “Our people will have to move as the tides have reached our homes and villages.”

The migration is intended to be staggered and strategically planned. Skilled workers are intended to leave first, President Tong told Fiji One television channel. The intention is to promote integration by making positive contributions to Fijian economies. The government has also arranged for an Education for Migration scheme.

Adding to problems for the Kiribati government, however, is the strong religious dimension of the island. Some of the island’s people, citing in the biblical tale of Noah, believe the world will not be flooded again and so are not as willing to relocate.

The island is already suffering from significant overcrowding problems. The majority of the population are in the administrative centre of Tarawa. In 1988, 4,700 islanders were resettled to less populated islands, however, as the tide claims more of the nation, redistributing the population within Kiribati will not be an option.

Kiribati is not alone in its plight, many small island nations face similar threats of rising sea levels, and many more nations will have to consider how to fully integrate climate change refugees in the decades to come. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated the sea levels during the Twenty-First Century will rise another 18 to 59 centimetres.

“What we need is the international community to come up with an urgent funding package to deal with that ambition, and the needs of countries like Kiribati,” urged President Tong. “Kiribati migrants should be sought after by the countries to which they wish to relocate.”

“For this to happen, our people must be in a position to provide the skills that are in receiving countries. This creates a ‘win-win’ situation, where both Kiribati and the receiving country benefit.”

 

Image: Rafael Ã-vila Coya | flickr

Video: undp | YouTube