Tuvalu Island Nation

Water is Love, Water is life. Water is also choking the small island nation of Tuvalu. Every year the King Tides (high tides) are a little higher and seep into the lands and homes of the Tuvalu people a little more. This could be the last generation to live in Tuvalu. 11,000 people could be forced from their homes, if they survive at all.

The country lies just below the equator in the Pacific Ocean and is made up of 9 small islands which average around 2 - 3 feet above sea level. The islands were built on coral, which is allowing ocean water to seep up through the ground in many places on the islands during King Tides. To "shore" up the islands would cost more than the small nation can afford. They do receive some help, but it is not enough.

To add insult to injury, the precious fresh water Tuvalians need to survive is scarce. Their well water is contaminated with salt, and in 2011 they had a horrendous dry spell from the La Nina weather pattern. They had to declare a state of emergency, and even with aid could only allow each person less than one gallon of water per day (for everything: eating, bathing, etc).

The island has it's own culture and has been part of our earth for thousands of years. The economy thrives generally on seamen who send home earnings and some on crops they grow, such as bananas and coconut, and on fishing. Salt water is ruining the ground as it seeps through and renders much of the land useless for farming. The people of Tuvalu did not participate in creating global warming, yet they are the ones suffering the most. This issue is being taken up with the United Nations' Human Rights Council.

Let's hope there is still time to save the nation of Tuvalu.

Interesting that the Nation has found a way to celebrate their most threatening menace: King Tides is part of the culture and perhaps they can find a way to live on with them in peace.

Difficult Way of Life

In this photo from 350.org, you can see a good example of how the people of Tuvalu are affected during high tide. This was during "Queen Tide" which must be not quite as big as King Tide. Hard to imagine that these people deal with this on a regular basis.

Tuvalu is classified by the United Nations as one of the world's peaceful least developed countries. Tuvalu has recently been accepted and elected as the 189th Member State of the United Nations for the New Millennium.