The Pacific Island Nations on the Front Lines of Climate Change
By Norah Luzadder
With devastating hurricanes and record-smashing temperatures continuing to surface across the globe, it is no secret that climate change is reaching a point of grave concern. Individuals of all backgrounds experience its effects, and a wide range of politicians and celebrities endorse campaigns to reduce some of the most prominent contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Yet some of the most disproportionately affected by changes to our Earth continue to go relatively unregarded outside of climate conferences and other diplomatic endeavors.
Pacific island nations such as Kiribati, Tonga, and Fiji are some of the smallest in the world, often reserved only for residents and the most adventurous of travelers - only around 200 people visit the island of Nauru each year. In the nation of Kiribati, a little over half the population is in possession of a cell phone, while the average number of years of education received by children in the Solomon Islands stands at 4.7. Surrounded by thousands of miles of desolate sea, it is difficult to communicate with the communities residing on these islands, let alone to get a sense of the impact climate change is already having on what are largely poor, agricultural communities.
While Kiribati, with a total land mass of 313 square miles, is responsible for only about 0.6% of greenhouse gas emissions, NASA predicts that it will be the first nation completely submerged due to rising sea levels - and if the worst case scenario occurs, this could become a reality before the end of the century. Standing no more than four kilometers above sea level, shifts in tides have made it difficult for residents of this nation to grow food, forcing them to rely on less nutritious imported goods. Additionally, freshwater reserves - relied upon by the vast majority of residents for their clean drinking water - are at risk for being contaminated lest a storm surge should occur.
Though NOAA and other worldwide organizations have begun to create action plans, Kiribati’s lack of financial means have proved to be a roadblock; a plan to create titanic, floating platforms as temporary barricades against the tide was ruled out due to a price tag of about 2 billion dollars, or ten times Kiribati’s GDP.
“Here in Kiribati, we see just how clearly the world needs to take decisive climate action,” says Dr. Wendy Snowdon of the World Health Organization - and this is far from the only nation at risk. Across the Pacific, communities with little means of reaching out to continental societies continue to face threats to their sustenance and livelihoods. Over twenty million people are at risk, and without the financial means to flee, the nations on the front lines of climate change could soon face disaster.
Sources:
Brennan, Pat. “NASA Sea Level Team Examines an Island Nation at Risk.” NASA, NASA, 3 Sept. 2024, sealevel.nasa.gov/news/276/nasa-sea-level-team-examines-an-island-nation-at-risk/.
Fisheries, NOAA. “Pacific Islands Regional Action Plan.” NOAA, 7 July 2023, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/climate/pacific-islands-regional-action-plan#:~:text=A%20Changing%20Climate&text=Warming%20oceans%2C%20loss%20of%20sea,there%20is%20much%20at%20risk.
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Corporativa, Iberdrola. “Kiribati, El Primer País Que Engullirá El Cambio Climático Por La Subida Del Mar.” Iberdrola, www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/kiribati-climate-change#:~:text=The%20possibility%20has%20also%20been,is%2010%20times%20Kiribati’s%20GDP. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
“Countering the Climate Crisis in Kiribati.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/westernpacific/news-room/feature-stories/item/countering-the-climate-crisis-in-kiribati. Accessed 27 Oct. 2024.
“Human Capital Country Brief - Solomon Islands.” Worldbank, Worldbank, thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/7c9b64c34a8833378194a026ebe4e247-0140022022/related/HCI-AM22-USA.pdf. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.