A Pacific Island Nation Is Being Subsumed by the Sea
W Suhra Nahib
hile islands and coastal communities everywhere are facing the harsh effects of climate change, the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is experiencing its own acute crisis: Because of climate change, Tuvalu has begun sinking. Based on the available evidence, experts believe these beautiful islands might submerge into the South Pacific Sea within a few years. Richard Gokrun (Tuvaluan), a former meteorologist and the Executive Director of the Tuvalu Climate Action Network (TuCAN), an NGO that supports Tuvalu’s civil society organizations to enhance their resilience to climate change, shares his concerns about the potential fate of the islands. “Tuvalu communities are experiencing sea level rise, increasing temperatures, droughts, coastal erosion, and intensely strong winds. Sea level rise has badly affected the groundwater to the extent that communities can no longer use groundwater for drinking,” he says. Tuvalu has always fought with extreme weather like storms and floods. However, the consequences of climate change are making it uninhabitable. For Tuvalu communities, a healthy ecosystem is important because agriculture is the primary source of economic, societal, and dietary welfare. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 80 percent of Tuvalu participates in agriculture and fishing. The entire population relies on ocean resources, as well as pulaka, a “swamp crop” that is likened to taro. But natural resources are disappearing due to saltwater mixing with groundwater, which has caused soil infertility for local farmers. Most crops, including pulaka, cannot absorb salt. Gokrun explains that as the population increases, so does demand for imported goods due to the limitation 20
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of land for subsistence farming. “Local Tuvalu communities are having to shift from their traditional food diet to a diet mostly consisting of imported food, some of which have caused various lifestyle diseases,” he says. Scientists have also observed that higher temperatures negatively affect crop productivity, biodiversity, and local Tuvaluans; many Tuvaluans now avoid working during the day because of the intensity of the sun. “Direct heat from the sun is too hot to do many outdoor activities and nights are also hot. That causes some families to move out of their homes to open spaces to get fresh winds and a good night’s sleep,” says Gokrun. Higher temperatures have also disturbed the marine ecosystem. Some species have migrated due to coral bleaching, which puts many communities in despair since marine resources are the primary source of food and income. Many fishers have to travel farther away to catch fish for their daily supply of income. Gokrun also notes that there are nearby fishing spots that are no longer used due to climate impacts that cause those rich marine lives to migrate elsewhere or are even extinct. The sudden change in the weather and the environment, combined with a lack of resources and technology, make it difficult for Tuvalu communities. This results in significant migration. Gokrun says that Tuvalu communities have introduced mitigation measures to these impacts in such ways as rebuilding infrastructures and innovative farming practices. For example, to mitigate saltwater intrusion, farmers have raised artificial soil beds to a height that is beyond the reach of saltwater. Likewise, communities in Tuvalu have come together to move their food resources to higher locations for better growth and less saltwater penetration. Because pulaka is the primary food source for Tuvalu’s people, the community’s priority is to build a wall to protect the plants. “Communities have planted mangroves along the beach to lessen the impacts of strong currents All photos courtesy of Tuvalu Climate Action Network’s Facebook page.
