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Rising sea levels are causing a slew of problems- higher sea levels mean more flooding happens in homes, The ocean’s salt water is getting into and contaminating groundwater traditionally used for drinking and farming. Also, the amount of ocean water where they can claim exclusive fishing rights is based on land size, so rising sea levels mean less legal fishing water. They also threaten the farming of coconut, Kiribati’s number one export crop, in the form of dried coconut.<\/p>\n
Many residents are leaving, adding to the growing number of worldwide climate change refugees<\/a>, many of whom are from Pacific Island nations<\/a> like Kiribati.<\/p>\n Those who remain, though, are dedicated both to their nation and to conservation efforts.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some of my friends have migrated \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 looking for greener pastures. But I refuse. I chose to return to Kiribati and to stay in the Pacific so that I could help my people,” said Pelenise Alofa Pilitati of the Kiribati Church Education Directors’ Association.<\/p>\n Nations that feel the effects of climate change most immediately are making the most bold moves to combat it as well. The Maldives have pledged to become a carbon neutral nation, and Kiribati has created a marine life preservation zone the size of California. Their preservation zone makes up 15% of the protected marine area in the world and has perhaps the best, most well-preserved coral reefs in the world- valuable for research on the effects of climate change.<\/p>\n Kiribati\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s President Anote Tong has tempered faith in the divine with a pragmatic Plan B: connecting with NGO’s and other agencies around the world to create capital flow to Kiribati and help preserve the local habitat.<\/p>\n Travel writer Maarten Troost, who spent two years living in Kiribati, said that taking matters into their own hands and planning ahead is a huge step for the country.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The government [formerly] controlled everything and did nothing. Back in the day \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 officials in Kiribati were blithely confident that when push came to shove, God would step in and save the islands of Kiribati. So it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good to see President Tong looking toward a Plan B should divine intervention fail,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Troost.<\/p>\n