Have you ever come across this flag? This is the flag of the Republic of Kiribati. Kiribati is an island nation in the Central Tropical Pacific Ocean comprising of 32 atolls with approximately 100,800 people living on roughly 800 square kilometres. Kiribati has beautiful beaches. The crystal clear blue water is perfect for spearfishing, snorkelling and surfing. People of Kiribati are extremely friendly and welcoming. In short, Kiribati is the epitome of a tropical paradise and a perfect holiday destination. However, if you are now finding yourself trying to remember the name or any facts of this beautiful island nation, stop! Don’t waste your time! Simply forget it! Why? Well, according to scientific forecasts in 2060 - so when we are about 58 - Kiribati will be gone! Wiped off the map! Swallowed by the ocean! Kiribati will cease to exist and parts of it have already vanished. As Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, stated when he was in Melbourne last year: "We see the front line of our coconut trees fall. Then the next line. Villages have been washed out and others will follow." The reason why Kiribati is disappearing right before our eyes? You might have guessed it - Global Warming. But let me ask you a question! Is it really just Global Warming that triggers Kiribati’s disaster? Let me tell you: No, it is not! Here is my point: What we need to understand is – as Al Gore, former Vice-President of the US and environmental activist - puts it: “Each one of us is a cause of global warming.” In other words, each one of us is responsible for the fact that more than 100,000 people of Kiribati will lose their homes, their villages, their country and culture in the very near future with some of them having already began to relocate.
Now, if indeed each one of us contributes to increase Global Warming, as a logical consequence each one of us can contribute to decrease Global Warming. In the next few minutes I will not only show you three quick and easy ways to do that, but also point out how you personally will benefit from it. So are you interested in improving your health, saving money and saving the only place we have to live - our earth? Then firstly, choose public transport and convince everyone else to do so. Studies have found that many diseases are related to stress. They have also found that people driving cars in bad traffic – like in Melbourne everyday - experience extreme levels of stress. Numbers of road rage are on the rise. Choosing public transport not only saves you time, lets you escape the stress, but also helps to decrease the amount of CO2 emission, one of the triggers of Global Warming. C02 is created when fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal are burnt. Secondly, speaking of health: Use reusable water bottles. Reusable water bottles also reduce the amount of fossil fuels and toxins released into the air, which develops during production of nonereusable water bottles. By filling up your own water bottle with tap water you are also more cost-efficient. Bottled water can cost up to 500 times the cost of tap water. It is also better for your health, when you make sure bottles you are using are BPA- and lead-free – substances that might be used in plastic bottles of water you buy and are harmful to your health. Thirdly, improve your fuel efficiency at home. Install double glazing, solar panels and efficient insulation. This can cut your energy bills by up to 90 % and reducing the burning of fossil fuels.
In conclusion: Everyone is talking about Global Warming and its devastating consequences. We are discussing it in school; we see it being discussed in the news, on television, on radio, on the internet by scientists, politicians, environmental activists and their counterparts, the Global Warming and Climate Change denier. And while we talk, discuss and argue as if we had all the time in the world, only 5000 kilometres away the sea level around Kiribati continues to rise remorselessly. People of Kiribati are literally in deep water as I speak and they are running out of time. Do not simply watch their island nation drown. Act now! Walk or ride to school! Resist buying that bottle of water! Get knowledgeable and talk to your family and friends about the impact they might be having on the environment and how to minimise it. Each one of us is a cause of global warming, but each one of us can be part of the solution, says Al Gore. If we do, it might even be worth to remember the name Kiribati and plan a holiday there even after 2060.