The Pacific nation of Kiribati is facing an escalating crisis as rising sea levels threaten its survival. Surrounded by water, its people are running out of fresh water as ocean salt contaminates underground wells and soils. Kiribati climate activist Christine Tekanene explains that residents now struggle to survive with salt-infected water due to sea level rise.
This crisis is one of many facing Kiribati, where the population lives on low-lying atolls barely above sea level. As global temperatures rise and polar ice melts, the country is facing extreme flooding, frequent coastal erosion, and persistent food and water insecurity.
This week, the United Nations General Assembly is holding a high-level meeting to address sea level rise as an existential threat. The session aims to build political consensus on actions needed to combat the severe social, economic, and legal impacts of rising seas. Samoa’s UN representative, Fatumanava Dr. Pa’olelei Luteru, emphasizes the importance of this meeting for small island nations, which lack economic or military power but can advocate for their priorities through the UN.
While some nations like Tuvalu are considering relocation, Kiribati’s government has been cautious about such plans. A decade ago, Kiribati bought land in Fiji as a potential refuge, but the strategy has since been reconsidered. Many Pacific islanders, including Tekanene, feel offended by suggestions that their lands might disappear. “We’re still fighting, we’re not drowning,” she says.
Despite this resistance, experts like Dr. Benjamin Strauss, CEO of Climate Central, warn that while the worst impacts of sea level rise can be delayed, they are inevitable. He believes that the rising oceans will ultimately submerge many Pacific atolls, making them uninhabitable.
To protect Kiribati, activists are calling for significant international support. Kiribati is seeking billions of dollars from foreign donors to raise its islands and mitigate the effects of rising seas. Without this support, Dr. Strauss warns, the country may face an unsustainable future.
A recent NASA study predicts sea levels around Kiribati could rise up to 50 centimeters by 2050, potentially making some islands uninhabitable by the end of the century. Tekanene urges world leaders to take greater responsibility for the emissions driving climate change. She insists that wealthier nations must step up to help prevent the looming catastrophe.