Entire country set to be evacuated as residents are alerted to existential threat
An entire country is set to be evacuated after residents were alerted to an existential threat.
A small nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has plans to evacuate every single one of its residents due to the impact of climate change.
According to a report by WIRED, this will be the first planned migration of an entire country in the world.
The island of Tuvalu is set to see all 11,000 of its inhabitants vacate the land as rising sea levels threaten the future of it.
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Back in 2023, the country signed a deal with Australia for 280 residents to permanently move to the continent each year.
Tuvalu is just 6.5 feet above sea level, meaning that the effects of climate change and the rising tides is almost certain to have devastating results on the region.
In a report by the Conversation, UNSW Sydney research fellow Jane McAdam wrote: “When combined with other Pacific pathways to Australia and New Zealand, nearly 4 percent of the population could migrate each year.
“Within a decade, close to 40 percent of the population could have moved - although some people may return home or go backwards and forwards.”
Tuvalu is currently attempting to take a 3D scan of its islands in a bid to preserve its cultural heritage in case they are submerged.
However, while Tuvalu is facing serious concerns about the future of its nation, it is not the only country being hit by rising sea levels.
According to a report by the UN Human Development Program, increased coastal flooding has the potential to endanger over 70 million people around the world.
It is also thought that hundreds of cities could face higher risks of flooding in the next 25 years due to the impact of climate change.
In a speech at the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change back in September last year, the prime minister of Tuvalu, Feleti Teo, said: “The existential threat we face is not of our making, but it will remake us.”
It seems like increasing severe weather could also make an impact much closer to home.
The once booming town of Cape Coral, Florida, was considered to be a piece of paradise not too long ago, but it is now considered to be the ‘worst housing market in America’ as residents of the Florida town flee the area.
Hurricanes have rained down on the Floridian west coast every year since 2022 and, as a result, a lot of homes have faced floods which has seen their insurance costs rise.