Sea Level Rise Case Study: Tuvalu

Consequences of rising sea levels Case Study: Tuvalu
Describe the location: It is located in in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Australia and Hawaii. It’s some of it’s nearby neighbors are Fiji and Samoa. They are formally known as Ellice Island	Location map + sea level rise
Explain why it is vulnerable to sea level rise… The island is only 5m in height which makes it extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels, experts predict that Tuvalu will disappear by 2050. ·      The highest wave called King Tide is 3m high ·      Tuvalu is located in a area where the sea levels are particularly high ·      Most of the island are made of coral reefs, since they are porous, water can seep into inland areas ·      Most of Tuvalu’s infrastructure such as the airport is located by the coast, so it poses an extreme risk ·      They have very little fresh groundwater and have to rely on rainwater for fresh water	Predicted IMPACTS (SEEP) Evidence please.. Social -Evacuation of people to the main island of Funafuti, which now host half of Tuvalu’s population. -Overcrowding due to the huge inter migration to the main island. - People are forced to leave islands such as Tipuku Salvilivili has already been abandoned due to the rapidly rising sea levels swallowing the island -The island main source of food, Pulaka is being killed by the intrusion of saltwater, this leads to diminish in food supply. -Travelling on the island becomes a problem as it is constantly flooded Economic -Coconut plantations are being killed off, this is concerning as dried coconut meat plays a large part in Tuvalu’s economy -Hotels and buildings are constantly being flooded, this hampers trade, business and tourism - Access to the island becomes limited due to the seawater covering the runway, this hampers materials from being imported into Tuvalu Environmental -Groundwater will become undrinkable as the sea water heads inland -Crops cannot be planted as the seawater intrudes into the plantations -The world would be alerted to global warming by using the sinking of Tuvalu as an example Political -The G3 might be held responsible for not rectifying the Kyoto protocol
What is being done to prevent OR manage the threat? -Houses and buildings are being improved to combat flooding such as implementing ten foot stilts and raise the house to prevent it from being damaged by floods. -The citizens are Tuvalu are being evacuation to either the mainland or to nearby countries such as New Zealand In general terms, the government is planning to evacuate the entire population of Tuvalu before in sinks into the ocean, the current outlook for Tuvalu is looking bleak