Tuvalu Island Nation
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Falling Slowly into the Sea
Water is Love, Water is life. Water is also choking the small island nation of Tuvalu. Every year the King Tides (high tides) are a little higher and seep into the lands and homes of the Tuvalu people a little more. This could be the last generation to live in Tuvalu. 11,000 people could be forced from their homes, if they survive at all.
The country lies just below the equator in the Pacific Ocean and is made up of 9 small islands which average around 2 - 3 feet above sea level. The islands were built on coral, which is allowing ocean water to seep up through the ground in many places on the islands during King Tides. To "shore" up the islands would cost more than the small nation can afford. They do receive some help, but it is not enough.
To add insult to injury, the precious fresh water Tuvalians need to survive is scarce. Their well water is contaminated with salt, and in 2011 they had a horrendous dry spell from the La Nina weather pattern. They had to declare a state of emergency, and even with aid could only allow each person less than one gallon of water per day (for everything: eating, bathing, etc).
The island has it's own culture and has been part of our earth for thousands of years. The economy thrives generally on seamen who send home earnings and some on crops they grow, such as bananas and coconut, and on fishing. Salt water is ruining the ground as it seeps through and renders much of the land useless for farming. The people of Tuvalu did not participate in creating global warming, yet they are the ones suffering the most. This issue is being taken up with the United Nations' Human Rights Council.
Let's hope there is still time to save the nation of Tuvalu.
The country lies just below the equator in the Pacific Ocean and is made up of 9 small islands which average around 2 - 3 feet above sea level. The islands were built on coral, which is allowing ocean water to seep up through the ground in many places on the islands during King Tides. To "shore" up the islands would cost more than the small nation can afford. They do receive some help, but it is not enough.
To add insult to injury, the precious fresh water Tuvalians need to survive is scarce. Their well water is contaminated with salt, and in 2011 they had a horrendous dry spell from the La Nina weather pattern. They had to declare a state of emergency, and even with aid could only allow each person less than one gallon of water per day (for everything: eating, bathing, etc).
The island has it's own culture and has been part of our earth for thousands of years. The economy thrives generally on seamen who send home earnings and some on crops they grow, such as bananas and coconut, and on fishing. Salt water is ruining the ground as it seeps through and renders much of the land useless for farming. The people of Tuvalu did not participate in creating global warming, yet they are the ones suffering the most. This issue is being taken up with the United Nations' Human Rights Council.
Let's hope there is still time to save the nation of Tuvalu.
Here, our Island Home
of Tubalu
Tuvalu's Message to the World
The remote and sparsely populated archipelago of Tuvalu is a microcosm of the environmental issues we all face. It is also the first sovereign nation faced with becoming uninhabitable due to climate change. If Tuvalu is to disappear, not only a land would be wiped off the maps, but a whole nation with its unique society, culture and traditions will be erased from the Human diversity spectrum.
Climate Change
King Tides Festival
Interesting that the Nation has found a way to celebrate their most threatening menace: King Tides is part of the culture and perhaps they can find a way to live on with them in peace.
curated content from YouTube
How much buzz will it take
To save a nation?
- Big money, big turnout in WI recall land
- The tiny Polynesian island nation of Tuvalu is the third-least populous sovereign state in the world, with some 10500 inhabitants, according to its most recent census. Embattled Republican Gov. Scott Walker has raised more money since he's been in ...
- 'Super moon' bad news for Tuvalu
- A "super-moon" will be a novelty for New Zealanders on Sunday, but for the 12000 people of Tuvalu it is a foreboding practice for a future where rising seas make their homeland uninhabitable. On Monday and Tuesday super-moon king tides will leave much ...
- Children: hidden victims of Pacific climate change
- Drink for a child on Tuvalu. [Australia Network] A workshop for Pacific Island nations opened in Fiji this week, aimed at getting children involved in adapting to climate change. Pacific in Community Development Fiji and People's of the South Pacific ...
- Supermoon: Tuvalu spared worst of king tides
- Tuvalu has been spared so far from major flooding as the supermoon's king tides have not been as high as feared. However the small Pacific Island's weather forecaster says tides are increasing in height over the years as sea levels rise.
Flooded Streets
Difficult Way of Life
In this photo from 350.org, you can see a good example of how the people of Tuvalu are affected during high tide. This was during "Queen Tide" which must be not quite as big as King Tide. Hard to imagine that these people deal with this on a regular basis. More on Tuvalu
Narrow Islands of Tuvalu
Janes Restures Oceania Blog
Janes maintains several websites in the South Pacific/ Oceana area, including this blog. She is from Tuvalu and cares deeply about her country.
A Race against Time
"My Back Yard is being eaten
by the sea.
This is our home.
We feel safe here.
There are no robberies,
no guns.
We sleep
with the doors open."
...Citizen of Tuvalu
Something there is
About a small polynesian nation
Traditional Tuvaluan Society
A Peaceful Community
Tuvalu is classified by the United Nations as one of the world's peaceful least developed countries. Tuvalu has recently been accepted and elected as the 189th Member State of the United Nations for the New Millennium.
Mmmm - island life!
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- ikiriki
- @JillHallMP Watching you tear it up in house of reps re: shipping reform. Great points being made about our island nation #auspol
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- samoanetwork
- Talofa Samoa, On 1st of January 1962, Western Samoa became the first Pacific island nation to achieve... http://t.co/ddz6pR1j
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- andyschonberger
- Lots of rooftop PV and solar thermal on Malta - makes sense for an island nation that imports all traditional forms of energy.
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- ANECORA
- Just met a man from the island nation of Mauritius. Google it.
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- CycleCarbon
- #solar, #renewables, Global warming refuge discovered near at-risk Pacific island nation of Kiribati http://t.co/jrROOAUi
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- OfficialTrips
- Whoever colonised your island plays a big part on your way of doing things as a nation. Frenchmen are open perverts, so as us Haitian men..
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- raffaella_bec
- RT @Schwedenparty: SECRET ISLAND NATION DJ CONTEST 2012 BEGINS! http://t.co/BkcP2m1e The 2 DJ mixes with the highest score of "Tweets" PLUS "Likes" win.
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- Saab_Man_Lutz
- The Mediterranean beef sandwich is back at Milio's. One bite brings back memories of my youthful summers spent on the island nation of Malta
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- yazidalrajeh
- RT @roomfordebate: What should the U.S. do about the tiny but important island nation of #Bahrain? http://t.co/buN9kEf9
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- GukSueb
- RT @roomfordebate: What should the U.S. do about the tiny but important island nation of #Bahrain? http://t.co/buN9kEf9
automatically generated by Twitter
Does the plight of Tuvalu resonate with you?
We welcome your comments.
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ElleDeeEsse
Oct 10, 2011 @ 1:19 am | delete
- This is a wonderful lens about an extremely important issue. Let's hope the world hears their tiny voice. Angel Blessed and featured on Angels In Paradise: http://www.squidoo.com/angels-in-paradise
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Tuvalu Resources
- Former minister highlights solution - Fiji Times Online
- Fiji News
Archives
Galleries - Tuvalu 'Celebrates' As Ocean Inundates It | Earthjustice
- the annual tide event is being treated by Tuvalu government officials as a kind of dress rehearsal for what happens when sea water permanently covers the land because of global warming.
- Born Today, Adrift Tomorrow in Tuvalu | Earthjustice
- Basic human rights, including the rights to food, water and adequate housing, will be increasingly unattainable. Your family--indeed all your fellow citizens--may have no choice but to join millions of people around the world seeking asylum in foreign countries as "climate change refugees." Your generation could be the last to live in Tuvalu.
- Tuvalu Official Tourism Website -
- Tuvalu Tourism - History of Tuvalu
- Tuvalu Images - Lonely Planet
- Tuvalu Images - Lonely Planet
This Lens is Part of a Quest!
Sammy the Salmon #16
I am so thankful to have started this quest. I had no way of knowing where the journey would take me. Having learned about this beautiful island nation and its people has really touched me. I really hope somehow that we can help turn things around so that they may remain a viable asset to our world!
by KarenKay
This lens begins the second half of a journey to create 30 new lenses in a niche new to me. I grow closer to the ocean and the earth it seems with ev... more »
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