The Pacific nation of Kiribati is sinking. Or, more accurately, the ocean is rising, which from a practical perspective amounts to the same thing. The nation of 33 tiny atolls and coral islands, scattered across an area of the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Alaska, is only, on average, 6.5 feet above sea level.  Scientists have estimated the current level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 2 millimeters (0.1 inches) per year. Many scientists expect that rate to accelerate due to climate change. Kiribati is already experiencing shortages of fresh water tied to rising sea levels and climate change.  The government of Kiribati is considering a plan to buy nearly 6,000 acres on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, as a potential refuge for the people of the island republic.

Kiribati President Anote Tong told the Associated Press, “We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it,” Tong said. “It wouldn’t be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them, moving won’t be a matter of choice. It’s basically going to be a matter of survival.”

Kiribati was once known as the Gilbert Islands. Tarawa, the republic’s capital, was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history, when the US recaptured the atoll from the Japanese during World War II.

Kiribati, facing rising ocean, considers moving its population to Fiji

Kiribati – A Call To the World

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