“In the face of this escalating climate crisis, the voices of the most vulnerable are being drowned out both literally and metaphorically.”
For those privileged enough to not be immediately concerned with the effects of climate change, the issue might seem like a problem on the distant horizon. However, the reality is starkly different– rising sea levels and ocean acidification are already causing irreversible damage to the security and livelihood of many island nations, like Kiribati and the Maldives.
The direct consequences of climate change generate harmful secondary effects on island nations. In the past, coral reefs surrounding these archipelagos have successfully acted as barriers to rising sea levels, providing a semblance of safety and security for the low-sitting populations. However, as ocean acidification increases, the efficacy and structural integrity of coral reefs will deteriorate, leaving the islands more vulnerable to high waves and storm surges, resulting in both loss of land and a decline of subsistent capabilities.
These mounting impacts of climate change reduce nations’ livelihood security. Continental nations might notice small changes in the reach of their coastal borders, as sea-levels rise over the years, but even a one meter sea-level rise will prove to be catastrophic for several island nations. As such, the concern is not simply a loss of territory, but complete deterritorialization.
Island nations that are geographically isolated and cut off from easy trade access rely on subsistence farming and fishing for both economic productivity and nourishment. This subsistence is threatened by the salinization of soil and water, rainfall uncertainty, or unexpected droughts—which can create a fertile breeding ground for novel, waterborne diseases.
For the citizens of these nations, deterritorialization not only threatens physical security, but the survival of cultural traditions as well. The land itself is connected to the cultural practices of Indigenous communities, like the i-Kiribati. Many Indigenous communities have shown immense historical resilience in maintaining their cultural practices and traditions both during and after colonial occupation. Even so, being stripped of the rights to their lands causes devastating effects to community and identity.
The Problem of Environmentally Displaced Persons
One of the greater conversations surrounding increasing levels of forced migration has been how those who were forced to leave their homes should be recognized by the international community. Two terms that have been thrown around are refugees and migrants. However, a more appropriate designation is the term “Environmentally Displaced Persons (EDPs).” EDPs are those who are “forcibly displaced at least partly because of a natural disaster.” Adopting this terminology would legitimize climate change as a threat to the sanctity of these individuals’ human rights.
“If we don’t take solid, preparatory, and proactive action, both locally and globally, cultures, traditions, and lives will be lost.”
Terminology to categorize those who are displaced might seem trivial, but it’s not. Appropriate recognition will become increasingly important in the coming years as more and more groups lose their homes, their land, and fear for their lives and the sanctity of their human rights.
Previously, there have been loopholes in international law that allowed nations to turn away displaced persons who arrive at their borders. A complaint was brought before the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) by Kiribati citizen Ioane Teitiota. The complaint originated when Teitiota and his family were denied asylum by New Zealand and they argued that they were being denied their right to life.
Although his complaint was not upheld by the UN HRC, a new global precedent was set, stating that someone cannot return to their native country if “[due to the climate crisis], their life is at risk, or in danger of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
The Problem of Sovereignty & Nations Ex-Situ
Confounding the problem of potential human rights violations for individual EDPs, the question of sovereignty must be considered for nations facing the threat of deterritorialization. The existing theories of state recognition fail to give an “authoritative opinion regarding the sovereign condition of a deterritorialized state.” As citizens of island nations, whose voices have been and still are suppressed, become forcibly displaced from their homes, the need for an internationally authoritative policy on the status of deterritorialized nations has become clear.
An alternative to territory-based statehood is Ex-Situ nationhood. Ex-Situ nationhood would allow for the deterritorialized states to maintain their sovereignty by creating a “government framework that could exercise authority over a diffuse people.” By exploring this concept of nationhood, the international community will be showing their active support in a time where visible acts to counter the effects of climate change are in short supply.
“[This conversation] will become increasingly important in the coming years as more and more people lose their homes, their land, and fear for their lives and the sanctity of their human rights.”
The case studies discussed below will highlight two island nations that are already experiencing some of the harshest, life-altering consequences of the climate crisis. In the face of these consequences, it is clear that climate-related deterritorialization and forced migration are a rapidly-approaching reality.
This realization is particularly devastating when recognizing that island nations are among the least to blame for the escalating crisis. Per the Annual Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), only about 2% of global CO2 emissions are caused by island nations and low-developing countries.
Country Name | Sum of Annual CO2 emissions (per capita) – 2000 – 2020 |
United States of America | 386.7584 |
South Korea | 239.5635 |
Russia | 231.6441 |
Germany | 212.0442 |
Japan | 202.1936 |
Iran | 156.9165 |
China | 118.8745 |
Maldives | 53.1533 |
Tuvalu | 19.013 |
Kiribati | 11.2357 |
Kiribati’s Plans for “Migration with Dignity”
Although only responsible for 0.6% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, Kiribati is one of the most at risk nations to experience the catastrophic effects of climate change. Kiribati is made up of 33 islands in the central Pacific Ocean, many of which are low-lying atolls. Two of its islands, Abanuea and Tebua Tarawa, have disappeared since 1989, and the reality is that ⅔ of Kiribati could be engulfed by the end of the century with a sea-level rise of just one-meter (3 feet).
Facing the rapidly approaching threat of deterritorialization, Kiribati’s government purchased 5,500 acres of land in Fiji in 2014, as a place for its citizens to relocate when their land inevitably becomes uninhabitable. Ensuring a secure future for its continued existence and statehood, Kiribati has been employing the concept of “migration with dignity.” This framework recognizes the importance of a “human-centered approach” and prioritizes every individual’s right to life.
This seemed to be a promising option for the citizens of Kiribati until its government shifted the purpose of the land from a safe haven to commercial agriculture with alleged “technical advice” from China. The Kiribati government has stated that this shift will provide produce for its citizens, as they have deemed hunger to be a more immediate threat than deterritorialization.
The Maldives and its City of Hope
Another island nation, the Maldives, is composed of 25 low-lying atolls and 358 habitable islands. The Maldives has some of the lowest-lying territory in the world, with 80% of its islands laying less than 1 meter above sea level. In an attempt to maintain its statehood, the Maldives have started to explore a few different options for both relocation and resilience-enhancing measures for land that has not yet been inundated by rising sea levels. The main project being undertaken by the Maldives is the creation of artificial islands with sea floor sand and coral platforms.
Hulhumalé, or the “City of Hope,” is the first of these artificial islands and sits 2 meters above sea level. In addition, the island uses solar panels on the top of buildings, and they have strategically engineered residential buildings that are able to reduce heat, using wind corridors to expedite air conditioning in the face of hot spells. The island is structured to promote community building and sustainable living in an attempt to mitigate the ongoing, escalating effects of climate change.
In the words of Global Center on Adaptation CEO, Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, the construction of Hulhumalé is said to be “quite possibly the biggest and boldest adaptation effort on the earth today.”
There is no doubt that finding a solution for nations facing deterritorialization is one of the most urgent matters at hand. No human being should be forced to sit and watch as their land disappears, unsure if they will have a safe place to live in a year’s time.
In the face of this escalating climate crisis, the voices of the most vulnerable are being drowned out—both literally and metaphorically. The need for multifaceted support from the international community is mounting in order to ensure any hope for the survival of these nations, necessitating an established, emergency migration and safety framework. This life-threatening crisis requires action beyond the finger-pointing and shame-tactics that have been dominating popular news cycles for years.
If we don’t take solid, preparatory, and proactive action, both locally and globally, cultures, traditions, and lives will be lost.
I have learn several excellent stuff here.
Certainly price bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how a lot attempt you put to create this sort of
magnificent informative website.