- hot-spots
- sea level rise
- Tuvalu
- Rising sea levels threaten Tuvalu
Problems
Tuvalu is an extremely small, isolated atoll island nation located approximately halfway between Australia and Hawaii and consisting of widely scattered, low-lying islands. As a low-lying atoll nation, it is especially vulnerable to the impacts of rising sea levels, like the erosion of shorelines, the contamination of freshwater sources, and the destruction of subsistence food crops. The country is destined to become uninhabitable in the next 20 to 30 years.
Causes of rising sea levels
As ocean water warms, it expands, causing the sea level to rise. The melting of glaciers and ice sheets also contributes to sea-level rise. Satellite data indicate that the sea level rise near Tuvalu is by about 5 mm per year since 1993. This is larger than the global average of 2.8–3.6 mm per year. This higher rate of rise may be partly related to natural fluctuations that take place year to year or decade to decade caused by phenomena such as the El NiñoSouthern Oscillation. The sea level is expected to continue to rise in Tuvalu. By 2030, under a high emissions scenario, this rise in sea level is projected to be in the range of 4-14 cm. The sea-level rise combined with natural year-to-year changes will increase the impact of storm surges and coastal flooding. As there is still much to learn, particularly how large ice sheets such as Antarctica and Greenland contribute to sea-level rise, scientists warn larger rises than currently predicted could be possible.
Consequences for Tuvalu island
Tuvalu faces grave and imminent danger due to climate change. The United Nations has labeled this low-lying island nation as "extremely vulnerable" to the consequences of increasing global temperatures. Disturbingly, experts foresee a distressing outcome: by the year 2100, Tuvalu may face the risk of complete submersion, as indicated by the findings of Chatham House.
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Timelines
2026
April
In the independent island nation of Tuvalu, the level has risen 21 centimetres in 30 years, nearly twice the global average. At the current rate, some projections suggest 95 percent of the country could be underwater by 2100. With the country averaging under two metres above sea level, traditional methods in coastal protection – whether building sea walls or nature-based methods such as planting mangroves – “no longer work” in managing these tides, said a senior official at UN Development Programme (UNDP) in the Pacific, Tuya Altangerel, told UN News. “If we plant mangroves, the mangroves will be simply swallowed by the sea. The king tide will just wash over the mangroves, or they can wash over the seawalls,” she said. The Government, with support from the UNDP, is stepping up efforts to save Tuvalu by protecting the country’s most populated islands.
2022
In the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP27, Tuvalu Foreign Minister Simon Kofe conveyed to the attendees through a video that as their land disappears, they are left with no alternative but to transform into the world's pioneering digital nation. Their objective was to preserve their nation meticulously, offer solace to their citizens, and ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the essence of their homeland.
2016
Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP) was given the green light. The project will build coastal resilience in three of Tuvalu’s nine inhabited islands, managing coastal inundation risks. 2,780m of high-value vulnerable coastline will be protected, reducing the impact of increasingly intensive wave action on key infrastructure. The project is under implementation and expected to be completed in 2024.
2003
The data from the Funafuti station showed that the sea level had risen there an average of 5.6 mm annually over the past decade.
2000
The country was involved in a climate change controversy. The National Tidal Centre (NTC) claimed that after seven years of measurements, the sea level at Funafuti, the country's capital, had fallen by 86.9 mm since 1993. This put all the climate change plans by the Tuvaluan government on hold. After reanalysis of NTC's records and other data, it was found that the sea level at Funafuti rose at a similar rate as the global mean.
