Rising sea levels and ever-more-powerful storms are eroding shorelines, submerging land and threatening to evict millions of people from their homes worldwide.
Yet, for the people of some low-lying small island States, what is at stake is more than just their houses. Their countries face the possibility of substantial losses of land territory and even complete submergence, which could render them uninhabitable.
Where will they go? What will happen to their nationalities? Their culture?
Global mean sea level is rising and accelerating. By 2100, the UN’s World Meteorological Organization estimates that seas will have risen by at least 0.5 metres – while the most pessimistic predictions estimate a full two metres increase.
For small low-lying nations in the Pacific Ocean like Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, which lie only around two metres above the sea, this growing reality poses a very tangible threat.
Yet, despite the prospect of losing their homes, people from these States are determined not to lose their nationality, culture, cultural heritage or identity.
by UN News – When a country goes underwater: Island States fight for their future
