Marshall Islands (sea level rise)

Rising sea levels threatens the very existence of the Marshall Islands, as the swallowing of the islands risks changing its status under international law from a habitable state to an uninhabitable bit of land (Leb ,2021).

Global sea levels have risen more than 20 centimetres since the start of the 20th century, with 2.8 to 3.6 millimetres coming in just the past thirty years (NASA, 2022). However, the rise in the Marshall Islands has been advancing at twice the rate (Australian Government, 2013). With king tides happening more frequently, “Waves regularly wash over the protective barriers that line the shore. Streets are getting flooded more frequently. Drinking water gets polluted. Livelihoods are destroyed. [Climate Envoy for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Environment] Jetn̄il-Kijiner says the threat of a flood is always looming in people’s minds” (Kottasová and Doran, 2022).

With 1 metre of sea level rise, 96% of the city will be at risk for frequent flooding and 40% of buildings may be destroyed. As such, the country is exploring new options, including elevating regions and building entirely new islands.  According to Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, “[It’s] completely unfair. We shouldn’t have to do that. These are extreme measures that will cost us billions of dollars, all because of something we had contributed nothing to.”

Read more about sea level rise here.