Isn Tuvalu one of the countries threatened by global warming?
Yes. The failure of the climate change summit in The Hague in November 2000 was a national calamity for Tuvalu. The highest point in the country is less than five meters above sea level and Tuvalu’s entire national territory may be inundated before the end of this century. Hurricanes are already arriving every other year compared to every ten years previously, leading to seawater seeping into the taro pits. Taro, the staple food on these low-lying atolls, is grown in pits fertilized with manure. The soil is poor here and the leakage of seawater into the pits is challenging the very ability of the islands to support life. Yet it’s not only the weather and sea levels that are being affected. Climate change is also impacting the mighty Pacific reefs through increasing sea temperatures and coral bleaching. As the reefs are degraded, coastal erosion becomes worse, and the fishing and tourism industries are destroyed. Sea walls may slow the process, but as ocean levels continue to rise, the
