Kiribati isn't alone. Maldives' president Nasheed was also considering a plan to move his entire island to Australia before he was overthrown.
http://goo.gl/Fc2ky Manu On Sat, Mar 17, 2012 at 2:22 AM, Josh Horton <[email protected]>wrote: > Apparently it's come to this ... > > On a related note, up until a few weeks ago I was involved in exploratory > work looking to engage the President of the Maldives on political advocacy > for geoengineering research (and perhaps even actual research on > micro-bubble technology) via a direct connection ... then he was overthrown > in a coup. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16945764 > > Josh Horton > [email protected] > > > http://www.unisdr.org/archive/25649 > > Migration not a matter of choice but survival, says Kiribati President*By > Brigitte Leoni* > > *BANGKOK, 15 March 2012* - Following a recent decision by its Cabinet to > buy land in Fiji as 'climate change insurance' for its population, Kiribati > President, Anote Tong has called on the international community to address > the effects of climate change that could wipe out the entire Pacific > archipelago. > > While the governments of both the Pacific island nations are currently in > talks about the nearly 6,000 acres of fertile land on Fiji's main island, > Viti Levu which is being offered by a church group for $9.6 million, > President Tong hopes that it will never be necessary for the 103,000 people > of Kiribati to leave. > > The move comes three years after President Tong took centre stage at the > Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction to implore the international > community to take effective action against climate change before it became > too late for Kiribati and other small island developing states of the > Pacific. > > This week he told the media: "We would hope not to put everyone on one > piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it. > It wouldn't be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger > generation. For them, moving won't be a matter of choice. It's basically > going to be a matter of survival." > > Jerry Velasquez, Head of UNISDR Asia Pacific, believes that now is not > time to give up. "We still have time to build community resilience and > press on with efforts to mitigate catastrophic climate change before it's > too late. Climate migration, if it has to happen, should be an adaptation > option for resilient communities," he said. > > Kiribati is at the heart of the debate on climate change. Many of its > atolls rise just 2.0 metres above sea level. It is comprised of 33 tiny > islands scattered across the ocean with more than half its population > crowded onto one island - South Tarawa, the capital. > > This recent development in Kiribati comes on the heels of a new Asia > Development Bank (ADB) report released last week, which states that > low-lying Pacific islands will be extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise, > high intensity cyclones, and storm surges. > > The report, Addressing Climate Change and Migration in Asia and the > Pacific highlights that with warmer seas, more intense cyclones could > become a pattern. It further predicts widespread coastal inundation for > Kiribati's main island. > > Released at the Second Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum in > Bangkok, the report identifies Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Papua New Guinea as > Pacific migration hotspots due to climate change. > > Kiribati and Tuvalu face the highest threat from sea-level rise while > Papua New Guinea is expected to experience greater risk from flash flooding > across the highlands and coastal flooding along the south coast, according > to the report. > > According to ADB some 42 million people in the Asia Pacific region were > displaced by environmental disasters in the past two years. Larger > countries will also face tough migration challenges due to climate change > in the coming years. India, for example, has the highest number of people > who may be affected by rising sea levels; thirty seven million of its > citizens may be impacted by climate change by 2050. > > "If we cannot save Kiribati tomorrow, we will also be obliged to move > millions of people from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, Manila, the > capital of the Philippines and many other cities in the world sooner or > later'', said Jerry Velasquez. > > Over the last five years, President Tong has continued to stress that his > country may become uninhabitable by the 2050s due to rising sea levels and > salination provoked by climate change. > > On Abaiang, one of Kiribati's remote outer islands, an empty sandbar is > evidence of the encroaching sea. There was a village there once called > Tebunginako. Residents were forced to relocate after the sea ruined crops > and drinking water. Then a large storm destroyed their houses. Some of the > villagers have rebuilt further inland; others have scattered for good. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/geoengineering/-/wGDrZfdwGFkJ. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=en.
