An island in the Pacific has become the poster child for our overheating planet as sea levels rise around them. Its residents are trying to adopt mitigation policies to keep their people in place.

What's happening?

According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, by the early 2050s, the island of Tuvalu will be surrounded by an "irreversible" additional six inches of water.

The island country of Tuvalu is located about halfway between Australia and Hawai'i in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It has a mean elevation of only two meters (6.56 feet) and has already endured a sea level rise of nearly half a foot over the last thirty years, 1.5 times the global average per Reuters.

A new report addresses at least two suggested solutions involving different levels of international migration. The report from the Toda Peace Institute emphasizes that Tuvaluans value their culture and sovereignty and that abandoning their country entirely can be avoided.

"Relocation of the entire population is their option of last resort," according to the report.

Cultural geographer Carol Farbotko is the author of the report. She pointed out that it is not certain that the small island state of 11,000 people will become uninhabitable. Tuvalu will do all it can to keep its people in place through adaptation measures to address the impacts of our warming world.

"To ensure Tuvaluan culture, Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination can continue on Indigenous land and sea territory, relocation of the entire population is felt to be unacceptable – at the government level and among the people," the report said. 

Why are rising sea levels important?

Scientists who used a new method to calculate sea-level projections have warned that if heat-trapping pollution continues to increase, sea levels will likely climb half a meter to two meters (1.6 to 6.6 feet) by the end of this century. This rise would put many coastal communities and islands like Tuvalu at risk of being inundated by ocean waters.

The American Meteorological Society's annual State of the Climate report for 2023 noted that sea levels hit a record high in tandem with record-warm ocean temperatures. The report added that sea levels have risen for 12 straight years. The kind of sea level rise projected if we don't curb heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere would cause widespread flooding in coastal communities like Miami and New York.

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What's being done about Tuvalu's situation?

The Toda Peace Institute report's recommendations include focusing "broadly on managing habitability risk at the outset, rather than pre-emptively jump to relocation planning" and identifying and addressing "insidious risks to sovereignty (such as depopulation through increased out migration)."

A BBC report said Tuvalu is creating a digital copy of the country in the metaverse to "preserve the nation's beauty and culture—as well as the legal rights of its 11,000 citizens—for generations to come."

Reducing the release of harmful heat-trapping gases into Earth's atmosphere by moving away from dirty energy sources and embracing cleaner, renewable options is crucial. Individuals can help by donating to climate-related organizations that fight for the future of our planet, talking to family and friends about climate issues, and advocating for change at work. 

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