The 113,000 citizens of Kiribati need a new home. The tiny island nation lies just two feet above sea level in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, so the rising oceans caused by global warming have been catastrophic. We knew this day would come. But so soon? Terrifying.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Kiribati is negotiating with the military government of Fiji for a chunk of land to resettle on. The conditions of Kiribati sound almost apocalyptic. I’d be trying to get out too.
Villagers with seawater lapping at their feet have been forced to abandon settlements. Freshwater supplies and crops have been ruined by salt water, while storms are causing shoreline erosion.
The president of Kiribati says relocating is the country’s last resort, and he’s all but begging the Fijian military government for 2000 hectares so that Kiribati can start afresh. What a horrible situation. Here’s hoping the two governments can sort something out. [Sydney Morning Herald via The World’s Best Ever]
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