Village raises distressing warning as idyllic fishing settlement sinks into the sea: 'The little community we had is now gone'

A fishing settlement facing the capital of Gizo in the Solomon Islands is confronting an urgent crisis as rising seas swallow the coastline where families have lived for generations, per the Solomon Star.

What's happening?

Community elders said a number of families have moved since 2021 because the ocean increasingly floods dwellings in the area. 

Tom Patterson of Lau Lagoon told the news outlet that there have been several difficult and dangerous challenges. 

"We noticed great changes in the tide," he said. "... This is due to the sea level rises that have reached the coastal line covering the flat land. The little community we had is now gone."

Raymond Samani told the Star that during king tides and other unusually high tides, water comes into the kitchen and prevents cooking. 

"Luckily, our house is high, so the water only reaches the posts," he said. "But if things get worse, we will have to find another way.

"I will not leave my house until the situation is getting worse — this is our home."

Why is sea level rise important?

The pollution humans have put into the atmosphere by burning dirty fuels such as oil and coal have created conditions that trap heat and warm the planet, causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt and raising sea levels across the globe. 

Scientists have warned that limiting the heating to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit is vital for people's well-being and survival — yet communities such as this fishing village are already facing the consequences. 

While it's true that extreme weather and coastal changes have always occurred, human-induced warming supercharges these events, making them more powerful and dangerous to communities. 

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The fishing village is home to fewer than 2,000 people, according to the Star. The surrounding land is largely owned by the government, "making legal relocation difficult," it stated, noting citizens are looking to authorities to provide assistance. 

What's being done about rising seas?

At the recent 30th climate summit of world leaders in Brazil, Solomon Islands Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology Polycarp Paea said that the 2.7 F warming limit is "non-negotiable — it is a matter of survival." He asked high-polluting nations to do more with their pledges and increase climate action financing as well as make it more transparent. 

Paea also pushed for support of the Pacific Resilience Facility, a fund to help vulnerable people in the Pacific as the climate changes.

Exploring the critical climate issues facing the planet can help you learn how to take action. Every choice to reduce pollution helps protect coastal communities as well as your own neighborhood. Driving an electric vehicle or installing a heat pump, for example, is one way to make a difference.

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