What if your country was swallowed by the sea?
The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati (population: 100,000) is one of the most remote places on the planet, seemingly far-removed from the pressures of modern life. Yet it is one of the first countries that must confront the main existential dilemma of our time: imminent annihilation from sea-level rise.
While Kiribati’s President Anote Tong races to find a way to protect his nation’s people and maintain their dignity, many Kiribati are already seeking safe harbour overseas. Set against the backdrop of international climate and human rights negotiations, Anote’s struggle to save his nation is intertwined with the extraordinary fate of Sermary, a young mother of six, who fights to migrate her family to New Zealand. At stake is the survival of Sermary’s family, the Kiribati people, and 4,000 years of Kiribati culture.
There has been a backlash against this lack of impetus in recent times by groups such as Extinction Rebellion, which highlights the need for significant action by wealthy Global North states. These wealthy, industrialised nations – and about 100 corporations largely headquartered within them, according to one report – have been the largest drivers of climate change via fossil fuel emissions, while baulking at global agreements to provide meaningful climate aid to developing countries.
The idea of drowning or sinking islands has long existed as a way to describe future risks that small island states must confront. But the reality is that these threats affect life in such places today. Many small islands states have chosen to reintroduce previously unpopular resettlement and migration policies in the face of climate change.
This is the story of Kiritimati (pronounced Ki-ri-si-mas) in the mid-Pacific – the largest coral atoll in the world. A closer look at the story of this particular island sheds light on the issues facing those living in similar locations all around the world, and the inadequacy of current international policy.
Artificial islands or coastal fortification could protect the Republic of Kiribati from further land loss (Credit: Getty Images)
Kiritimati has a dark past of British colonialism and nuclear weapons testing. It gained independence from the UK on 12 July 1979, when the Republic of Kiribati was established to govern a group of 33 islands that straddle the equator in the area. Now, a complex threat is appearing over the horizon.
Raised no more than two metres above sea level at its highest point, Kiritimati is one of the most climate vulnerable inhabited islands on the planet. It is at the centre of the world, yet most people could not pinpoint it on a map, and know little about the rich culture and traditions of its people.
This culture may be set to disappear. One in seven of all relocations in Kiribati – whether between islands or internationally – are attributed to environmental change. And a 2016 UN report has shown that half of households have already been affected by sea level rise on Kiritimati.
Those who have moved become climate change refugees: people who have been forced to leave their home due to the effects of severe climate events and to rebuild their lives in other places, having lost their culture, community, and decision-making power.
On Kiritimati, a few mechanisms have been created to help islanders. For example, the Kiribati government has implemented a programme, “Migration with Dignity”, with the aim of creating a skilled workforce able to find good employment abroad. The government has also purchased 6,000 acres on Fiji in 2014 to try and ensure food security as the environment changes.
Locals regularly have to repair roads damaged by flooding on the islands in the Republic of Kiribati (Credit: Getty Images)
New Zealand has also created an annual opportunity lottery called the Pacific Access Ballot. This lottery is presented as a way for 75 Kiribati citizens per year to resettle in New Zealand. But quotas are reportedly not being filled. Understandably, people do not want to leave their homes, families and lives.
The World Bank and the UN, meanwhile, have argued that Australia and New Zealand should improve mobility for seasonal workers and allow open migration for citizens of Kiritimati, in light of climate change affects. But seasonal work is often menial and offers few prospects for a better life.
With an average age of 22, Kiribati’s future generations will suffer most from the rising sea levels (Credit: Getty Images)
Watch now: Anote’s Ark
The Award Winning film is also available on DVD: Anote’s Ark.
Read how the World Health Organisation is helping https://www.who.int/kiribati/our-work.
Check out the New Zealand youth Kiribati project: https://www.p3foundation.org/the_kiribati_project
Following the completion of the documentary film Anote’s Ark, EyeSteelFilms are aiming to raise money to create an education fund for the seven children of one of the film’s main cases, Sermary Tiare. https://gofund.me/cbbd6ebf
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