“When combined with other Pacific roads to Australia and New Zealand, nearly 4% of the population can move every year,” wrote Jane McAdam, a researcher at the Sydney International Refugee Law Centre for the United Nations University Sydney, in a conversation. “In a decade, nearly 40% of the population may move, although some may return home or move forward.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement that the plan gave Tuvaluans the opportunity to settle in Australia “with dignity as the climate impact worsens.” She added that the initiative reflects deep trust between the two countries and that Tuvaluans are expected to make valuable contributions to Australian society.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo called on the support of the international community in his speech at the third United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France in June. “Tuvalu called for the development of an international sea level treaty to enhance the legal rights of affected countries and peoples, including the principle of national continuity and the permanence of maritime boundaries,” Teo said. Prime Minister Tuvalu also said that his country supports the idea of a fossil fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and “the final passage of the rapid, impartial and irreversible stage of fossil fuels in all sectors.”
The deal with Australia is not the only action Tuvalu has taken in the face of the threat of disappearance. In 2022, the country launched an ambitious strategy to become the world’s first digital country. The plan includes 3D scanning of its islands, digitally recreating them and preserving their cultural heritage, and transferring government functions into virtual environments. To protect national identity and sovereignty, the project is also considering defining constitutional reforms as virtual states, a concept that has been recognized by 25 countries, including Australia and New Zealand.
What is happening in Tuvalu may be something other countries may experience. NASA found that global sea level rise has exceeded expectations over the past year. Its satellite measurements show that the annual growth rate has doubled since 1993, up 10 cm during this period. Pacific islands are particularly susceptible to ocean rise, although the impact is not limited to the region. For example, sea levels in the Gulf of Mexico have recently tripled the global average, according to a 2023 study published by Nature.
Albert Van Dijk, a professor at the Australian National University, stressed that climate change is affecting all water systems on the planet. “From historical drought to catastrophic flooding, these extreme changes have destroyed life, economy and ecosystems as a whole. Water is our most important resource, and its extreme behavior represents one of the greatest threats today.”
This story originally appeared in wired español and has been translated into Spanish.
