Kiribati Flashcards
What does Kiribati consist of?
- 33 islands in the Pacific Ocean that stretch across an area the size of the USA.
- Islands are low-lying sand and mangrove atolls
What is predicted to happen in the next 50 yrs?
Many of its islands could disappear
How much is sea level rising by per year?
1.2 cm (4x global average)
What happened in 2014?
- President Anote Tong finalised purchase of 20km squared of land on the island of Fiji
- Used for agriculture and fish farming projects to guarantee nation’s food security
What policy has the government launched?
Migration with dignity policy to allow people to apply for jobs in neighbouring countries such as Nz
What will happen if the islands are submerged?
Population will become environmental refugees
What has a recent NASA assessment found?
The country will see the sea level rise up to 15-30cm by 2050 whether or not global emissions are cut before them
By the end of the century, how much sea levels have risen?
50-100cm
What will increase as decades progress?
- Flooding
- All islands will likely experience more than 100 days of flooding every year by century’s end
How many of Kiribati’s inhabitants live in the capital, South Tawara?
More than 50% of the 100,000 inhabitants
How much of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are Kiribati responsible for?
0.6%
What have Kiribatians already begun to do?
- Emigrate
- Build walls out of coral rocks which are destroyed by high tide
- Build mangroves
- Some towns have moved a few metres inland
What has there been discussion of building?
An enormous floating platform but has been ruled out due to cost -> $2 billion which is 10x Kiribati’s GDP
What have Nz offered?
- To have 75 people per year
- Only Nz government have responded to their needs
