29. Tuvalu • The Pacific Ocean

We have selected 100 unique places on Earth that are projected to
undergo profound changes within the next few generations.

We based our selection of the 100 places on the 4th Assessment
Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Simply by drawing attention to the beauty of these places, 100 Places to
Remember Before they Disappear creates an argument to preserve
them.

The 100 Places we have chosen to highlight, and the people who
live in them, are in serious danger because of rising sea levels, rising
temperatures and extreme weather events triggered by climate change.

Among ambassadors are Joss Stone, Desmund Tutu for more info visit http://www.100places.com.

The Fourth Smallest Country in the World

Between Australia and Hawaii, in one of the most remote areas of the Pacific Ocean, lies the nation of Tuvalu. At only 26 square kilometres, Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world, made up of tropical reef islands and narrow coral atolls encompassing blue lagoons.

Only 12,000 people inhabit the nine islands of Tuvalu. Theirs is a distinctive Polynesian culture with a traditional way of life, each family playing its own role in the community, such as fishing or house building.
The name Tuvalu means eight standing together, and originates from a time when only eight of the nine islands were inhabited. In future, not much might be left standing at all.
At five metres above sea level, Tuvalu has one of the lowest maximum elevations in the world, making it extremely vulnerable to storms and changes in sea level. With sea levels projected to rise by up to 60 cm by the end of the 21st century, parts of Tuvalu will be flooded, and the intrusion of salt water will damage important crops such as coconut and the staple taro.

Rising sea temperatures and acidification will have a devastating impact on the coral and may eventually kill it, destroying essential coastal protection and the very foundation for life on the islands. Tuvalu is also affected by what is known as King Tide a high tide that raises the sea level higher than normal. Combined with the expected rise in global sea levels, this could ultimately submerge the nation entirely, forcing the Tuvaluan people to move to neighbouring countries.

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Entertainment

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[MrDanbloom]

A Tuvalu activist and artist from Tuvalu now living ovwerseas tells this blog:

"From what I'm aware, a lot of homeland Tuvaluans DO believe that God will take care of their needs. However, in my opinion, I believe action still needs to be taken to get the word out. Life is a balancing act - there needs to be faith but also action. I take the middle-path approach and say that, although faith is good, action is still needed. Again, in my opinion, God helps those who help themselves."

[zoyclem]

It's a nice video but if you believe that humans are responsible for what amounts to earth's natural behavior, you are deluding yourself. Islands have risen and sunk all throughout the planet's history. The presence of man (or lack of) will not change that.

[MishaTalanT]

nice video!

[Appoldro]

@ImagineSanDiego Fly in from Fiji.

[999myname999]

@ImagineSanDiego by jogging...lol

[nigelsenchez]

God made mad or did man made God? It's self evident that the idea arose from our primitive understanding of the world.

[TheJosewales]

GOD LOVES the Oceans, especially The Pacific Ocean, its his Favourite Area on Earth, which means GOD LOVES to do things with it, LIKE WASHING UP WITH IT , because GOD LOVES things to be CLEAN ! ,,and things are getting pretty dirty on Earth,, and GOD does'nt like that one bit,, So GOD is going to be using his cleaning fluid called PACIFIC OCEAN more widely and more often,, Spliting PACIFIC OCEAN in 2 and letting it roll is when it cleans best tho, the WHOLE PLANET PERFECTLY :-)

[renalailama]

@MrCarrottoppings man you have no idea about what are you saying,,that everyone will disapear one day i know but say that no one will miss it thats no nice man,you perhaps never been there or never will be there and if you had a chance to be there, you no nada about life but the shit side of life as you mencioned before,that place will desapear one day as you place will too nothing is forever man,i prefer play on a bunch of trees and a pile of sand than play in a concrete like yours.

[miltonfrank]

What will happen to .TV internet address if Tuvalu dissapears?

[MrCarrottoppings]

@renalailama lol why will your family disappear it's not like it's going to sink suddenly without notice i think you'll be able to get off of the island before to much damage is caused :S there isn't really a way of stopping it so you might as well look at the bright side of life and stop thinking about all the shit in life :)