OUR PACIFIC NEIGHBOURS UNDER THREAT

Although global warming impacts the entire world, Pacific Islanders are suffering the
consequences of climate change most immediately and dramatically. The main industries
driving local island economies -- fishing, agriculture and tourism -- could be devastated by
flooding, drought, violent storms, destroyed coral reefs, depleted fish populations, lack of fresh
water and eroding coastlines. Among the impacts of global warming would be the loss of low-
lying coastal areas, failure of subsistence crops and coastal fisheries, and the spread of diseases
like malaria and dengue fever. Storm surges seem to have grown more common in recent
years, eroding protective barriers, destroying bridges and roads, and flooding homes and
plantations.

Pacific Islands are very vulnerable to global

warming, due to the facts that they are small in area
and low in altitude. Some of the islands, such as
Nauru, have an area of just over 20 km2 -- it needs
118 of these to cover the Australian Capital
Territory!
Click here if you want to know
more about the Pacific Island
states

Some places, such as Tokelau and Tuvalu, are very

low-lying with the highest point at only 5m above
sea level. The sea level rise caused by global
warming would easily drown all these islands.

The economies of these countries are also vulnerable to global warming. The small island
states do not have many natural resources. Many of these countries depend on their beaches
and coral reefs to generate income from tourism. Palau is a typical example. Tourism makes up
for more than 40% of the country's GDP. Global warming will wipe out their precious
resources, resulting in unemployment and poverty with serious social
consequences.

Disappearing Land

When the Earth warms, ice melts and ocean water expands, bringing
about a rise in the sea level. Coastal regions would be submerged.
Tuvalu is one of the most notable victims of sea level rise. With a population of 11 000, it is
made up of nine small atolls. Total land area is only 26km 2 and the highest point no higher than
5m above sea levels. Waves routinely lap at the doors of coastal homes, and the islanders'
concerns grow with the rising water.

Eventually, scientists warn, the tides will grow high enough to submerge the entire nation.
High tides often swamp vast portions of Tuvalu. The island state has experienced record high
tides of 3.2 metres that submerged much of the country, cutting telephone services for weeks
and flooding Tuvalu's only airport. When strong winds and waves accompany the high tides,
the flooding is even worse. The motu of Tepuka Savilivili in Tuvalu has lost its coconut trees
 and sandbanks.

Straddling the Equator and the international dateline, Kiribati

(pronounced Kee-ree-bas) is composed of 33 islands spread over 3
2
million km in the central Pacific Ocean. One of the smallest and most isolated nations in the
world, the terrain is mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs. In recent
years, Kiribati islanders have reported unusually high tides, rogue waves, the loss of small
islands, and storms more powerful than those of the past. The motu of Tebua Tarawa, a former
landmark for fishermen, has disappeared.

Kiribati has had to move roads inland as the Pacific eats away its shore.
Some villages in Kiribati had already been forced to move inland
because of worsening coastal erosion. The small island of Bikeman,
located near Tarawa, was once a landmark to guide fishermen home.
Now, Bikeman is submerged underwater, probably due to the rise in sea
level. Years ago, the island was called Tebuneuea, meaning "the place
for chiefs," where people used to present their gifts to the gods. Today, people can only walk
on the former island in knee-deep water.

The Tokelau Islands (NZ) are about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. Global
warming is a major concern there considering that the highest point on any of the 127 islands
is only 5m above sea level, and there have been UN predictions that the atolls could be
uninhabitable by the end of the 21st century.

Environmental Refugees

As global warming continues, in extreme circumstances, it may become

necessary to abandon some atolls or low-lying islands altogether. Such an
option would be socially and culturally disruptive and would require access
to substantial resources -- which most of these countries may be unable to
afford.

When land disappears, the population would have to be

relocated. Tuvalu, expected by scientists to be one of the first
nations to vanish due to global warming, is actively seeking
alternatives for its population of 11 000. Rising sea level is
expected to engulf the nine-island nation within 50 years.
The government has appealed to Australia and New Zealand
to provide permanent homes for its people, and has received
a positive response from the latter. NZ Prime Minister Helen
Clark has said she is "very sensitive" to Tuvalu's problems
and needs. She met with Tuvalu's late Prime Minister
Ionatana Ionatana on a few occasions to discuss the island
nation's problems, and it is understood New Zealand will
A map of Tuvalu offer a haven for at least some of the affected islanders.
There are already 5000 people from Tuvalu in New Zealand.
However, Australia has rebuffed Tuvalu's calls to grant its citizens special visas in case they
become 'environmental refugees.' "Tuvaluans are seeking a place they can permanently