Caught between a devil of a choice and the deep blue sea, the Pacific nation of Kiribati intends to buy land on Fiji's main island as a long-term measure to cope with rising sea levels.
President Anote Tong said last week that the purchase of some 25 square kilometres on Viti Levu, approved by his cabinet, was an investment at this stage. "Relocation is our last resort," he said, adding that effects of climate change are already hindering the nation's economic development.
The 33 islands and atolls of Kiribati lie about 2 metres above current sea levels yet high tides could rise above that by 2030. Coconut trees, which supply Kiribati's main cash crop, are threatened by the encroaching sea and changing weather patterns. And extended droughts, and saltwater intrusion into wells, have caused drinking water shortages.
Recent research tracking Pacific islands over several decades found that although many islands respond to climate change by changing shape ? losing land but reclaiming it in other areas ? their new land is not necessarily fit for human habitation.
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