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Straddling the equator in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Hawaii, is the small island country of Kiribati. The vast majority of its 33 coral atolls never exceed three meters above sea level, making Kiribati's 94,000 inhabitants vulnerable to a rare danger: their country is sinking.
Or, perhaps better put, the world's oceans are both warming and rising, submerging many of the islands, while what is left becomes unlivable for local residents. Rev. Baranite Kirata, the secretary of Church in Society for the Kiribati Protestant Church will be sharing his unique perspective as a panelist of the Global Voices Plenary at the annual meeting of the United States Conference for the World Council of Churches in Washington, D.C.
As of 1999, two small islets had already been submerged by the rising floodwaters of the Pacific Ocean; a third island's coconut trees had died out due to soil salination. And increasingly, the delicate coral reefs, which provide sustenance to the small country's inhabitants, are bleaching. Because of this, in June of 2008, Kiribati's president Anote Tong issued a statement which claimed that it may be too late to reverse the effects of climate change and save this island nation. He further called on Australia and New Zealand to begin making preparations to receive the islands' inhabitants as permanent environmental refugees.
Four months earlier, Kiribati proved that it had learned from the climate changes it is witnessing in its own environment by creating the world's largest marine reserve, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area. The reserve covers 410,500 square kilometres and contains within its borders one of the world's largest intact coral archipelagos. Already, studies have found more than 120 species of coral and 520 species of fishsome of which are new to science.
A quotation by James Michel, president of the nearby island country of Seychelles, sums up what many in the region feel of the situation: "It is not right that small island states have to run the risk of being submerged by rising sea levels, whilst some nations refuse to even acknowledge their responsibility for the high levels of environmental pollution which are now threatening the planet's resources."
The low economic influence of small island states upon the global community is a source of deep discomfort and frustration among many. Not only Kiribati and Seychelles, but also Bangladesh, Tuvalu, Vietnam, and Tajikistan face immediate threats due to climate change; meanwhile, the Tokyo-based United Nations University warns that "by 2050, some 200 million people will be displaced by environmental problems." Such statistics forcefully demonstrate that the time is now to reverse climate change and minimize its effects on nations like Kiribati.
