National soccer team uses jerseys to send subtle message about major issue: 'The country faces a huge crisis'

A Pacific nation's first soccer team will be battling more than just its opponents this season. The team, as well as all the rest of the nation's nearly 42,000 residents, is battling an overheating planet.

What's happening?

The Marshall Islands formed a federation five years ago to field its first-ever soccer team. The first field also serves as a defense against rising sea levels that threaten the several atolls covering 750,000 square miles, which comprise the isolated Pacific nation, according to The Guardian.

The Pacific Ocean rose nearly 4 inches around Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, from 1993 to 2024, as shown by data from NASA. That's around .13 inches per year, or close to twice the global average.

"Existentially the country faces a huge crisis with climate change," said commercial director Matt Webb, per The Guardian. "We wanted to make something which is both a celebration of the country, but also drawing attention to the fact there's a very real threat."

The team's latest uniform is designed to draw attention to the country's plight. The team refers to it as the "No-Home Jersey." The number 1.5 is visible on the jersey. Although it may appear subtle at first, it carries a strong message. It refers to the rise in global temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) that scientists mark as a dangerous tipping point for Pacific nations.

Why are rising sea levels around the Marshall Islands important?

Sea levels have risen more rapidly in recent decades as our warming world melts ice sheets. In the United States, rising water levels already threaten Louisiana's protective wetlands. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected sea levels will rise between 1.4 and 2.8 feet, while a rise of nearly 7 feet is even possible in a worst-case scenario. That would inundate the Florida Keys and portions of Miami.

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According to an IPCC report, a meter rise in sea level around the Marshall Islands is a very conceivable increase by 2300. That would mean 40% of Majuro's buildings sink permanently underwater.

"When you're on the islands, you can see the impact it has on day-to-day life. There are risks from rising tides, storms, and flash flooding, and people have to build sea walls outside their homes, to try and protect them," added Webb, according to The Guardian.

What's being done about the rise in sea level?

The Marshall Islands have responded to the impacts of our overheating planet and the rise in sea levels by planting pandanus plants, or palm-like trees and shrubs native to the region, along shorelines to dissipate the wind and waves from storms. Longer-term initiatives include increasing investments in Early Warning Systems for the nation.

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The ultimate solution will be to make a worldwide effort to drive down pollution of heat-trapping gases from dirty energy sources. Embracing renewable options like solar energy and upgrading our homes with more efficient heat pumps and induction stoves are ways to start.