
Climate change and rising sea levels mean the island nation of Kiribati in the South Pacific is at risk of disappearing into the sea.
But the island’s inhabitants aren’t giving up. They are doing what they can to save their island from inundation. Can COP23 help make a difference?
UN estimates indicate that Kiribati could disappear in just 30 or 40 years. That’s because the average elevation is less than two meters above sea level. And some of the knock-on effects of climate change have made the situation more difficult. Kiribati can hardly be surpassed in terms of charm and natural beauty. There are 33 atolls and one reef island – spread out over an area of 3.5 million square kilometers. All have white, sandy beaches and blue lagoons. Kiribati is the world’s largest state that consists exclusively of atolls. A local resident named Kaboua points to the empty, barren land around him and says, “There used to be a large village here with 70 families.” But these days, this land is only accessible at low tide. At high tide, it’s all under water. Kaboua says that sea levels are rising all the time, and swallowing up the land. That’s why many people here build walls made of stone and driftwood, or sand or rubbish. But these barriers won’t stand up to the increasing number of storm surges. Others are trying to protect against coastal erosion by planting mangrove shrubs or small trees. But another local resident, Vasiti Tebamare, remains optimistic. She works for KiriCAN, an environmental organization. Vasiti says: “The industrialized countries — the United States, China, and Europe — use fossil fuels for their own ends. But what about us?” Kiribati’s government has even bought land on an island in Fiji, so it can evacuate its people in an emergency. But Vasiti and most of the other residents don’t want to leave.
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2:19 Australien 😂
Erosion exists too… Many islands has come and gone…
most people of those island nations in the pacific and very humble and so very simple in life.. i myself can attest to that as I am working in an island nation in the pacific..
De ce stau așa aproape de apă, dacă este pericol!!
Hopefully the problems will be solved asap.
In the late fifties when the colonial government (Britain) was in Solomon Islands, a number of Gilberties migrated to Solomon Islands. They settled in Wagina on Choiseul Island and Titiana near Gizo, provincal capital of Western Province. There is now a big population in Solomon Islands. They participate in nation building. Can other countries like Australia and New Zealand help Gilbertise who want to migrate?
Sorry to say, its all a lie
29:59 "in my experience, it takes just 1 kiribas to do a job that needs 2 filipinos", and how many germans does it take to do said job?
10 years to build a wall , but how long to build a house a little further away ?
😳
Climate change 🤦
Nature has a way to take back, it gives and it reshape, nothing to do with climate change 😂
People are losing common sense more and more 😮
The sea rising is real. However, it is important to note that if you build your home exactly at sea level you will get flooded. Sometimes the sea rises momentarily. I know someone who lives near this island and after this first happened to him he built a house on an evalated platform. The sea rising is sad and we might loose some of the most beautiful places on earth. It is also important to note that the earth warms and cools on its own every 10 000 years or so (look up younger dryas) even without human induced climate change, we are accelerating that process. The real issue is polluting these waters with plastic, oil and chemicals, making it a hostile place for us and present and future species. Thank you for coming to my TED talk
I hear tracks from the Blood Diamond and Apocalypto soundtracks, bravo
Actually the island is sinking.
Meanwhile the globalist cabal still buying beachfront property!
41:03 the place looks beautiful
two words, inter glacial
I love watching documentaries like this It reminds us about climate change..the country is beautiful but sad to know the situation they have
This country consistently voted against the ceasefire in Gaza. May the waters rise.
Atolls are actually growing, as new generations Corals gow and die, at a rate faster than the rate of sea level rising (30cm in 100 years). The atolls have survived far more rapid rates of sea level since the emd of the last ice age 12000 years ago, when the sea level was 150m lower.
30:00 seems oddly disparaging towards filipinos
Sounds like hatteras, rt 12 down rhodanthe place is dang near underwater
I work with 2 families from Kiribati 🇰🇮
They are beautiful people, warm, welcoming and almost always smiling and laughing. They share their language and culture with us and it's heartbreaking to know this is happening to their home land 💔
Isn’t this island sinking?
These people know full well that climate change has nothing to do with this. The sea is not rising; the islands are sinking. As Hurricane (respondent below) notes, this is subsidence and erosion. The volcanic island base is returning from whence it came… beneath the surface of the sea. The main industry of Kiribati is suckering ignorant foreigners and UN agencies into sending them money for the imaginary "Climate Warming Crisis". What is more, the locals knew this 400 years ago. As for AGW, this theory was initiated and promoted by Rothschild protege Maurice Strong, who created the IPCC, a pseudo-science panel of the UN, and agency designed by Nelson Rockefeller in 1933 to 1936, as part of his global takeover plan. Global warming is a strategy to destroy industry, elevate the cost of energy, and destroy economies to make globalist takeover easier. Note that no scientists are permitted to tell the truth. If they do, they become unemployable.
Not Even higher Waters There – 6 y later
Over fishing is also not doing that little area any favors. Large commercial fishing vessels probably are contributing to that. I wonder why their aren't more restrictions or any in areas like this where the people will starve because they're barely any fish left. I feel so bad for these people. Unfortunately this is happening in multiple areas. I watch a lot of you tube videos and I see how much of a problem global warming and over fishing is. It's really sad. Trash everywhere, rising water levels, over fishing and pollution and plastic in the water. Yes we really have come far as a civilization. We should be so proud. Imagine what we could accomplish if every person spent 30 min a day doing something to improve our world by planting a tree, picking up trash hell just not fishing for 1 day. Something, I think we could do so much better.
It’s small country, but I can see the progress of it even if its so remote. People are educated, What a good governance..
Building houses on stilts might be useful.
It's terrible when people are fed propaganda and unknowingly believe it as fact….. There could be many reasons for these islands flooding. Perhaps these people need educating on chemtrails which I'm sure they don't have to deal with…
Our class adopted Kiribati as our country for the Literacy and Numeracy Week and I got to say, after learning about Kiribati, I feel like COP meetings should be held in Tarawa
10000th ?
The fathers hair is like African thick hair. Why.?
I'd say its time to move.
It time to leave