Amelia Holowaty KralesMangroves planted by a nonprofit group on Tuvalu, a Pacific archipelago struggling with rising seas, in the hope that they will prevent erosion when they reach maturity.
In global climate forums, Tuvalu’s government has repeatedly hammered home the message that its 11,000 citizens have hardly contributed to the heat-trapping emissions that cause climate change yet are among the first to deal with the consequences.
Tuvalu, a tiny archipelago of nine South Pacific islands threatened by rising seas, is on the front lines of the planet’s climate change debate. Current projections indicate that it will become unlivable within 50 years, resulting in an exodus and the erasure of a rich 3,000-year-old culture.
At the same time, the country is struggling this year with a drought and crippling freshwater shortage related to the La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific. (The scientific jury is still out on whether global warming will lead to more frequent La Niñas.)
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