Rising Water
Pacific Islanders are suffering the consequences of climate change most immediately and dramatically. The main industries driving local island economies-fishing, agriculture and tourism-could be devastated by flooding, drought, violent storms, destroyed coral reefs, depleted fish populations, lack of fresh water and eroding coastlines. Here is a look at the threat that global warming poses to a range of islands at or near sea level, including Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Micronesia, and Manhattan.
Marshall Islands
The historic Marshall Islands are composed of 29 atolls just above sea level. During World War II, two of the islands were used to test 67 nuclear weapons while islanders were forced into exile. Later, atomic fallout and radiation poisoning forced many more to abandon their contaminated homes.
During the last decade, the island of Majuro has lost up to 20 per cent of its beachfront. Locals believe that the powerful storms and sweeping high tides are causing most of the coastal erosion. Majuro has built up sea walls to prevent further erosion, even using garbage imported from the United States. Land is scarce, however, and the walls need constant rebuilding. According to government officials, building and maintaining effective sea walls will cost more than the Marshall Islands' annual budget. The Marshalese worry that history will repeat itself and that they will be forced to leave their homes once again.
Samoa
Four thousand miles southwest of California lie the volcanic islands of Samoa, home to a Polynesian culture thousands of years old. In the past decade, the El Nino phenomenon, which originates in the tropical Pacific, has raised water temperatures so high that most of the coral reef around the islands were killed. Coral reefs serve as a major source of coastal protection for low-lying atolls because they act as natural breakwaters to protect shorelines and beaches from erosion. Coral reefs also provide shelter for one quarter of all marine life, and are a source of food and income for islanders. The warmer waters can't sustain large fish populations, and some fishermen are now unable to make a living due to decreased catches.
Kiribati
Straddling the equator and the international dateline, Kirabati (pronounced Kee-ree-bas) is composed of 33 islands spread over 2 million square miles in the central Pacific Ocean. One of the smallest and most isolated nations in the world, the terrain is mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs. In recent years, Kribati islanders have reported unusually high tides, rogue waves, the loss of small islands, and storms more powerful than those of the past. Sea water continues to encroach onto the fresh water lens underneath the coral atoll, contaminating drinking water and destroying crops.
Bikeman, Kiribati
The small island of Bikeman, located near Tarawa, Kiribati, was once a landmark to guide fishermen home. Now, Bikeman is submerged underwater, probably due to the rise in sea level. Years ago, the island was called Tebuneuea, meaning "the place for chiefs," where people used to present their gifts to the gods. Today, people can only walk on the former island in knee-deep water.
Manhattan
Like the Pacific islands, Manhattan is slightly higher than ocean waters. In the next 50 to 100 years, areas of the city could be inundated by rising sea levels. Manhattan had a glimpse of such a scenario in 1992, when a powerful storm hit the area. Several underground train and subway stations were flooded and the entire transportation system of the New York metropolitan area was disrupted.
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