Kiribati, the incredible country that will be uninhabitable in less than 15 years

The small archipelago in the middle of the Pacific is not the only nation that could disappear in the decades to come. Other countries like the Maldives and Tuvalu are also in danger.

Lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the islands that make up the Kiribati archipelago are in danger of disappearing due to the rise in sea level linked to climate change.

This archipelago, composed of 33 islands of which only 20 are inhabitedIt has an area of ​​811 square kilometers, less than that of cities like London or Mexico City.

But in some areas, the density of its population is extreme. As in Tarawa Atoll, where more than half of this nation’s inhabitants reside.

It is not only one of the smallest and most isolated countries in the world, it is also one of the most vulnerable to rising temperatures.

In fact, its islands are expected to be engulfed by the ocean within 10 to 15 years, leaving more than 100,000 people living there homeless.

The uncertain future of its inhabitants has made many people wonder what will happen to all of these people once the Pacific takes their homes back.

For years, authorities in Kiribati have alerted world leaders to the fate of their nation, whose inhabitants will soon be forced to leave their homeland.

And according to a study by Foundation for Environmental Justice (EJF) manufactured in 2017, climate change will create the biggest refugee crisis the world has seen in the next decade.

Climate refugees

Kiribati is economically dependent on copra and coconut exports, fishing, foreign aid and remittances sent by its workers abroad..

Due to the precariousness of its economy, but also climatic and environmental conditions, this small country shares the same problems as many developing countries, such as difficulties in providing water, food and services to its inhabitants.

This has already led Kiribati citizens to generate asylum claims for environmental reasons in other countries.

John teitota, a Kiribati who may have become the world’s first refugee to fall victim to climate change, fought a legal battle against the New Zealand government for four years after seeking refuge there in 2013, claiming that his life and that of their family they were in danger.

But New Zealand officials rejected his request, saying that “rising sea levels may make the Republic of Kiribati uninhabitable within 10 to 15 years, as (Teitiota) points out, (but) this time could enable the Republic of Kiribati to intervene, with the help of the international community, to take measures to protect and, if necessary, to displace its population. >>

In her speech, Teitiota referred to issues such as the overpopulation of southern Tarawa – which has led to increased violence and insecurity – in addition to the scarcity of clean water and erosion,

This did not prevent the man from being deported from New Zealand in September 2015.

Overcrowding

South Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati and its population has grown from just over 1,600 in 1947 to over 50,000 today, the exodus of people to this city is mainly due to the fact that other islands in the country have become uninhabitable due to of sea level rise.

This has made it one of the most densely populated places on the planet.

Although it rains frequently in Kiribati, the tanks needed to collect rainwater are scarce.

And a large part of the local population depends on aquifers for drinking water and their existence is also in danger.

“If seawater rose to the top, it would have an immediate and catastrophic effect, causing salinity for 15 months to two years; it could make the water unsafe for drinking, ”explained Peter Sinclair, Pacific Community water resources advisor to the BBC in 2014.

The deportation of Ioane Teitiota is illegal for the UN

But in what was a landmark decision, the Human Rights Committee banned governments from returning people to countries where, due to the effects of climate change, they are exposed to factors that can put their lives at risk. danger or may be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment.

He also argued that “the effects of climate change in host states can expose people to a violation of their rights”.

For Kate Schuetze, Oceania researcher at Amnesty International, the decision “sets a world precedent”,

“The message is clear: you don’t have to wait for Pacific island states to disappear underwater to start complying with the obligation to protect the right to life,” he explains.

Other nations are also in danger

This committee resolution suggests that future complaints could be successful when there is sufficient evidence that the effects of climate change in affected countries can “expose people to a violation of their rights.”

States like Kiribati and Tuvalu are only a few meters above sea level, so Schuetze believes their populations “are exposed to severe climate impacts, such as limited access to habitable land, to drinking water and livelihoods “.

For this reason, she said, governments must take into account this dangerous reality and the imminent threat that global warming poses to the lives and livelihoods of the peoples of the Pacific. “

Kiribati is also home to the largest marine reserve in the South Pacific.

But the severe and frequent bleaching of its corals due to global warming in the oceans makes it difficult for reefs to reproduce in the region, further compounding the dangers of sea level rise.

Although the Pacific Islands are among the smallest emitters of greenhouse gases, they suffer disproportionately from the consequences of climate change.

And the inaction of several countries to participate in environmental debates could lead not only to the disappearance of Kiribati, but also to other nations like the Maldives and Tuvalu.

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