Kiribati case study

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

Pacific island

Question 2

What is an atoll?

Answer 2

A ring shaped coral reef island or series of islets

Question 3

Locational context

Answer 3

• Composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island situated just west of the international date line
• The country contains 3 major island groups

Question 4

Physical geography of kiribati

Answer 4

• Made up of 32 very low lying atolls
• Flat topography
• Highest point at Ahuhamed point

Question 5

Threats to kiribati

Answer 5

• Low lying coastline
• Climate change - sea levels rising - requires global solutoons
• Future for kiribati is hopeless - citizesns will become worlds first climate refugees

Question 6

What is the highest point of kiribati above sea level?

Answer 6

• Only 81km above sea level

Question 7

Why are the atolls vulnerable?

Answer 7

• Naturally low lying
• High ratio of coastline to land area

Question 8

Population

Answer 8

110,000

Question 9

AO2 FUTURE OF GEOGRAPHY?

Answer 9

Difficult to see any positives in the future, the current challenges its facing will soon be replicatied by many other simiarly low lying nations on a GLOBAL SCALE

Question 10

SEEP impacts

Answer 10

Social:
* Subsitent reliant locals could destroy incomes and livlehoods
Economic:
* Without any adaptation, kiribati could lose about 34% of its 1998 gdp by 2050 because of climate change and sea level rise and mostly covered by 2100 by water
Enviromental:
* Severe and frequent coral bleaching caused by warming ocean waters could hinder the growth of kiribatis reefs compounding the dangers of sea level rise
* Half of all coral reefs expected to be destroyed by 2050
* There will also be damage to the delicate biodiversity of kiribati
Multiple:
* Scientist predict that by 2080 the risk of flooding the pacific atolll countries is likley to be roughly 200 times greater than at the start of the century
* Warming oceans leads to violent and more frequent tropical storms - socioenviromental consequences of which in pacific would be harmful to longterm furrher development and inhabitability of these islands

Question 11

Managing sea level rise at kiribati

Answer 11

• Countries that have contributed little to cc expierence the most impacts
• International community belive easiest options would be to evacuate the islands and displace kirbatis native population to sorrounding high islands e.g. fiji, hawaii, nz and aus - have close diplomatic ties to the nation succesive local govt have pledged as a part of their 20 years plan to project the islanfs from flooding by raising them through dredging
• In the short-medium term this will allow life to continue but may have signifcant enviromental consequences on sorrounding coral reef enviroments
• In the future they are considering constructing elevated roads to adapt to flooding condtions and prevent the enture country being inhabitable and inacessable - this may help withr ecovery efforts following tropical storms in kiribati

Question 12

Geopolitics in kiribati

Answer 12

• Kiribati is an lic - average citizen earns 1600 - has struggled to fund the projects needed to protect its citizens
• Their new president was elected with a pro-beijing platform marking a switch from favouring american and the west as allies
• This meant that for the first time kiribati will be looking to china to help it develop and manage climate change
• Kiribati has the opportunity to participate with chinese companies and use chinese money to fund large scale infrastructure projects in the country, such as constructing elevated roads to protect against sea level rise
• This has led critics to say that the country may possible fall into a chinese debt tarp where it will essentiallt run out of money and not be able to pay loans back thus selling out the country
• This gives china a huge advanytages as although it has little land kiribatis control of the oceans is over 3.5million km2 which is valuable for them to control