A small island nation whose land could be soon swallowed up by the sea is fighting for the right to still be recognised as a country if that happens. And its leaders are even contemplating creating a “digital twin” to survive.
Tuvalu is an island country in the Pacific Ocean, almost equidistant between Hawaii and Australia, and the rising sea levels there have prompted discussions about what will happen to its people when the land disappears.
The Pacific Islands Forum represents many of the most vulnerable countries, including Tuvalu, and has invited international legal experts to contemplate this question.
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And it has begun a campaign to ensure that political statehood continues even after a nation’s physical fabric is submerged.
In the case of Tuvalu, which has an average elevation of two metres, experts say it is unlikely to be completely flooded until the 22nd century.
This date might be brought forward by the potential collapse of the giant Thwaites glacier in Antarctica as it would add 1.5 metres to ocean heights, but this would take decades.
Experts say the more immediate risk to Tuvalu and other countries in a similar position is from storm surges.
To try and counter this impact, Tuvalu and other island states have recently begun reinforcing some of their coastlines with concrete flood barriers.
But these defences will weaken over time and will always be vulnerable to tsunamis and other big flooding events.
Speaking at a conference in Fiji, Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe said: “The threats of sea level rise and the erosion of our statehood are not mere hypotheticals, but very real and present dangers that we must face head on.”
He added: “Our discourse is not limited to legal instruments and policies, but encompasses the survival of our people and nations. We have the power to make a significant impact by acting urgently and decisively.”
And the prime minister of the Cook Islands, Mark Brown, said: “As our shorelines are eaten away by sea level rise, what will become of our sovereignty, of our lands, our titles, our homes?
“What will become of our fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by our constitutions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?”
“How can we realise our shared vision when our very status as ‘states’ is being questioned? How can we fulfil our responsibility to our peoples if their homes and livelihoods are taken away from them?
“These questions are difficult but real. They require solutions.”
The Guardian reports that Tuvalu has launched a diplomatic push for other nations to recognise its statehood regardless of the physical impacts of climate change.
Mr Kofe says that the definition of statehood under international law is reflected in the Montevideo convention which says the criteria are that a country has to have a physical territory, population, government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other countries.
He added: “If we were to take that definition, Tuvalu could possibly lose its status as a state if we lose our physical territory or we are forced to relocate to a different location.
“So we are just imagining this worst-case scenario – if it does come to that, we would want the world to continue to recognise our statehood as being permanent.”
Seven governments have made the commitment so far: Venezuela, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts, St Lucia, Vanuatu, Niue, Palau, Gabon, and Taiwan.
Tuvalu is now discussing the issue with bigger neighbours such as New Zealand and Australia.