Climate Change and Tuvalu
On 29 March 2017, Dr Shafi Noor Islam gave a seiminar at the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) titled 'Climate Change versus Livelihoods, Heritage and Ecosystems in Small Island States: The Case of Tuvalu'.
The impact of global warming and climate change is a new threat in small island states in the Pacific Ocean. The environment and the people will be particularly affected if measures are not taken to develop these island states. This is because climate change can cause sea level rise and temperature changes that will damage farmland and human settlement, leading to food insecurity and poverty.
Tuvalu is a small island state in the Pacific Ocean with a land area of only 26 km² and a population of 11,810. Climate change has affected the cultural landscape and community livelihood in the coastal atoll areas of Tuvalu.
Panoramic view of Funafuti Airport and Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu
The geographical location of Tuvalu
It has been projected by the IPCC that Tuvalu is probably the first country in the region that will be gradually submerged. This raises concerns about the fate of its people, their livelihoods, cultural heritage, landscape and ecosystems. The basic concern of this study is:
- This research examines how inhabitants of Tuvalu cope with climate change in relation to livelihood strategy, heritage and ecosystems.
- The study reports that the lack of awareness about the seriousness of the problems that are being faced by the country in the immediate future are particularly alarming.
- The research suggests that climate awareness education and applied research, training, and adaptation issues should be included in Tuvalu’s development plan.
The Conceptual Model of Climate Change and its Impacts
The main road in Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu
The first village to suffer the effects of climate change – saline water affected the small village in 2014 due to sea level rise