KIRIBATI ISLAND REPORT
By Saniru Jayasinghe - NSW Environmentalist
EXISTING PROBLEMS
Rising sea levels are caused by
climate change which melt the ice
caps into liquid water, meaning a
great influx in water levels around
the world. As a result Islands such as
Kiribati, home to over 200 people, are
being washed away as we speak and
by 2100 are expected to be
submerged over 5m below sea level.
ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES
Increased heat, drought and insect
outbreaks, are all linked to climate
change. Declining water supplies,
reduced agricultural yields, bushfires
, flooding and erosion in coastal areas
are additional concerns.
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SOME FACTS
The UN Climate Change conferences are
meetings designed to bring the smartest
minds such as my own to find a way to
slow down or stop the affects of these
disasters on places such as Kiribati. A
similar protocol was iniated in Japan
decades ago, known as the Kyoto
Protocol and ultimately healed the ozone
layer which otherwise would have
collpased because of our negligence. If
together if we can restore something
kilometres above our heads, climate
change is by all means possible to
counter or slow down.
After arriving in Kiribati for the third
time in a span of fifteen years, I have
observed the affects of rising sea levels on
the island and its people. These people,
who know only their land to be home, are
affirmitive that if the world doesn't act
now Kiribati will not be the first or last
island to sink as a result.
Because of these rising seas levels half of
Kiribati's landmass has vanished over
two decades. Residents, whose houses
were wrecked by incoming water were
forced to move to nearby islands and
cities, knowing despite their efforts
islands and houses will continue to
subdue to the sea levels if no