Kiribati (sea level rise)

Image courtesy of NASA / ISS Expedition 17

Composed of 33 atolls with an average elevation of 1.8 metres above sea level, Kiribati is expected to be one of the first countries to become uninhabitable due to sea level rise by 2050.

At a 0.9 metre rise in sea level, approximately 66% of Kiribati’s land could be lost (Phelan, 2022). Two of the atolls have already been permanently inundated and more are nearing a state of uninhabitability (Iberdrola, n.d.).

While this plan was later revoked due to contradicting projections of the threat of sea level rise and changes in leadership, in 2014, Kiribati’s government acquired over 2.200 hectares of land in Fiji with the intent of ensuring both food security and a place for roughly 70% of the Kiribati population to relocate (Ellesmoor and Rosen, 2016). Now, the purchased land is planned for use to provide Kiribati with nutritious food.

Despite increases over the years, the average resident of Kiribati still only emits 0.47 tons of carbon dioxide every year (Our World in Data, n.d.-a). In comparing that to 4.47 tons, the global average per capita (Statista, n.d.), or the average US resident’s 15.5 tons (Our World in Data, n.d.-b), we are painting a picture of indisputable climate injustice.

Read more about sea level rise here.