A couple days ago, I posted about how rising sea levels are overtaking the island nation of Kiribati. I had a list of other islands facing the same prospect of being forced to relocate their populations, but decided to hold it back for a couple days. Didn’t want to overload everyone. Now, here’s that list of imperiled island nations. All of these places have been inhabited for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. As the earth warms, water expands. It’s all happening far more rapidly than occurs naturally.
The Maldives, with 400,000 people inhabiting 1100 islands and atolls south of India. The highest areas are 8 feet above sea level, so any rise is a seriou threat. A rise of three feet will make the Maldives uninhabitable.
The Seychelles, with 95,000 people on 115 islands off the coast of East Africa.
Tuvalu, with 10,000 people living on three islands and six atolls halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Most of the land is less than a meter above sea level. Their prime minister said in 2015, “Any further temperature increase will spell the total demise of Tuvalu.”
Cape Verde, a nation of 10 islands with a half million people off the west coast of Africa.
Micronesia, with 100,000 people inhabiting over 600 mountainous islands and low atolls.
Palau, a chain of eight islands and 250 islets southeast off the Philippines, with 20,000 people.
The Marshall Islands, northwest of Kiribati, with 1100 islands and islets, most of them less than six feet above sea level. Half of the country’s 53,000 people live on the Majuro atoll, which wil be under water if sea level rises another meter.
Five of the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific, have already disappeared, and another six have lost over 20% of their area. About 580,000 people live on the Solomon Islands.
In 2016, the Inuit villagers of Shishmaref Island, in Alaska, voted to relocate their ancestral home to safer ground.
The population of the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea is being relocated, many to the island of Bougainville 50 miles away.
Kiribati bought 6000 acres on Figi as a future home for its people. But Figi itself is threatened. Some islands have high mountains, but people in lower areas are moving inland as the ocean encroaches on them. Nearly 1 million people live in Figi.
About 8000 people live on the Torres Strait Islands between Australia and New Guinea–274 islands. The United Nations declared the approximately 100 residents of Tegua, part of the Torres Strait Islands, the first climate change refugees in 2005.
In a few cases, islands are slowly sinking even as sea water rises, causing a double whammy. In all of these places, islanders build seawalls and plant mangrove trees to counter erosion, but it’s a losing battle. The oceans are rising, and will continue doing so.
