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Notes from Tuvalu: Leading the way in adapting to sea-level rise

July 19, 2023.

Work begins to protect Tuvalu from rising sea levels.

Dr Arthur Webb

Coastal Adaptation Specialist, CTA Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project, UNDP

Yusuke Taishi

Senior Technical Advisor, Climate Change Adaptation, UNDP

Srilata Kammila

Head of Climate Change Adaptation, UNDP

Pradeep Kurukulasuriya

Director and Executive Coordinator, Nature, Climate and Energy, UNDP

In the Pacific Island country of Tuvalu, the sea level has been quietly creeping upwards for years. By 2050, it is estimated that half the capital, Fogafale, will be flooded by tidal waters. With climate change posing a risk to infrastructure, food security and energy supply, 95 percent of land is projected to be flooded by routine high tides by 2100 if no action is taken. 

With the threat of  sea level rise climbing at unpreceden ted  rates  –not just in Tuvalu, but in all island nations– the implications seep into everything: from contaminated fresh groundwater, to hampered food crop cultivation to loss of woodland vegetation and soils, resulting in uninhabitable land. 

Yet despite these risks, for many years data about exactly how sea level rise is affecting islands like Tuvalu ­has been lacking. And without understanding the timelines and scale of the problem, it’s hard to design the right solution. 

Building better data 

UNDP has supported the Government of Tuvalu to meet their Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) priorities on  adaptation , particularly relating to  coastal adaptation . State-of-the-art aircraft-mounted Light Detection and Ranging technology, also known as LIDAR, has been used to rapidly  collect precise information on land surface height and sea floor depth. Data was collected in all of Tuvalu’s nine atoll systems, including islands and surrounding reefs and lagoons, amounting to around 500 square kilometres in total - the equivalent of just under 61,000 soccer fields.

The data has informed best possible timelines for sea level rise and storm wave impact and underpins the coastal adaptation work of t he Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project,  providing a wave inundation modelling platform and shoreline monitoring system.  

The Government of Tuvalu’s approach to coastal adaptation represents a paradigm shift in the region. Given that the option of retreating to higher ground is not possible, it is creating 7.3 hectares of new and raised land which is designed to remain well above sea levels in 2100 and to withstand large storms under higher sea levels. 

The design of this multimillion-dollar coastal adaptation infrastructure on the capital Fogafale (Funafuti Atoll) and outer rural islands of Nanumaga and Nanumea aims to secure communities from future marine hazards.

The infrastructure works, financed by Green Climate Fund and the Government of Australia, and implemented by the Government of Tuvalu and UNDP, have almost reached the halfway mark in Fogafale, and when finished, will provide flood-free land, safe from sea level rise until at least 2100.

Before and after

The design of a multimillion-dollar coastal adaptation infrastructure on the capital Fogafale and the islands of Nanumaga and Nanumea aims to secure communities from hazards.

Now, the Tuvalu government and UNDP are developing the ’ Te Lafiga o Tuvalu’ (Tuvalu’s Refuge) a Long-Term Adaptation Plan (L-TAP), that presents a new approach to adaptation, and is designed to provide comprehensive national solutions to sea level rise beyond 2100. 

The vision is 3.6 square kilometres of raised, safe land with staged relocation of people and infrastructure over time; a sustainable water supply; greater food and energy security; government offices, schools, and hospitals. As well as a safe, fit for purpose shipping port and airport.

Building safe, raised flood-free land

L-TAP is the first technically feasible, national adaptation plan founded in science and consistent with known sea level rise. While initiatives such as this offer hope in adapting to the consequences of climate change,  clearly, long-term adaptation will depend on much more . Concerted efforts are required to unblock the flow of private capital to Tuvalu and address macroeconomic factors and increase economic growth.

It is also critical to recognize the “loss and damage” implications for countries like Tuvalu. These societies are the first to pay the price of climate change and emissions released in other parts of the world. Yet they are also the ones leading the way in confronting climate challenges and demonstrating that change is possible, with courage, foresight, and imagination. The rest of the world must step up without delay. 

Launched in 2017, with backing from the global  Green Climate Fund and in partnership with the  United Nations Development Programme , the  Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project aims to reduce exposure to coastal hazards and to develop a long-term coastal adaptation strategy for the country. 

As a remote and small island, no development agencies, including UNDP, had experience of providing development assistance  in the extreme context of fragile islands, scattered in the South Pacific Ocean . But building on two previous Least Developed Countries Fund projects–made possible with GEF financing– development agencies and the government have gained critical insights to define challenges and find solutions, to leave no one behind.

A state-of-the-art online platform was launched by the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project and project partner the Pacific Community, with the Government of Tuvalu. For the first time, the platform will allow the atoll nation to identify, plan for, and reduce risks from sea level rise and more frequent storms driven by climate change.  

The Government of Tuvalu is creating 7.3 hectares of raised land which is designed to remain well above sea levels in 2100.

Geography and History of Tuvalu

Tuvalu and the Impacts Global Warming

SolaraStills/Getty Images 

• Country Information
• Physical Geography
• Political Geography
• Key Figures & Milestones
• Urban Geography
• M.A., Geography, California State University - East Bay
• B.A., English and Geography, California State University - Sacramento

Tuvalu is a tiny island country located in Oceania about halfway between the state of Hawaii and the nation of Australia. It consists of five coral atolls and four reef islands but none are more than 15 feet (5 meters) above sea level. Tuvalu has one of the world's smallest economies and has recently been featured in the news as it is becoming increasingly threatened by global warming and rising sea levels.

Basic Facts

Population: 11,147 (July 2018 estimate)

Capital: Funafuti (also Tuvalu's largest city)

Area: 10 square miles (26 sq km)

Coastline: 15 miles (24 km)

Official Languages: Tuvaluan and English

Ethnic Groups: 96% Polynesian, 4% Other

History of Tuvalu

The islands of Tuvalu were first inhabited by Polynesian settlers from Samoa and/or Tonga and they were left largely untouched by Europeans until the 19th century. In 1826, the whole island group became known to Europeans and was mapped. By the 1860s, labor recruiters began arriving on the islands and removing its inhabitants either by force and/or bribe to work on sugar plantations in Fiji and Australia. Between 1850 and 1880, the population of the islands fell from 20,000 to just 3,000.

As a result of its decline in population, the British government annexed the islands in 1892. At this time, the islands became known as the Ellice Islands and in 1915-1916, the islands were formally taken over by the British and formed a part of the colony called Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

In 1975, the Ellice Islands separated from the Gilbert Islands due to hostilities between the Micronesian Gilbertese and the Polynesian Tuvaluans. Once the islands separated, they became known officially as Tuvalu. The name Tuvalu means "eight islands" and although there are nine islands comprising the country today, only eight were initially inhabited so the ninth is not included in its name.

Tuvalu was granted full independence on September 30, 1978, but is still a part of the British Commonwealth today. In addition, Tuvalu grew in 1979 when the U.S. gave the country four islands that had been U.S. territories and in 2000, it joined the United Nations .

Economy of Tuvalu

Today Tuvalu has the distinction of being one of the smallest economies in the world. This is because the coral atolls on which its people are populated have extremely poor soils. Therefore, the country has no known mineral exports and it is largely unable to produce agricultural exports, making it dependent on imported goods. In addition, its remote location means tourism and the related service industries are mainly non-existent.

Subsistence farming is practiced in Tuvalu and to produce the largest agricultural yield possible, pits are dug out of the coral. The most widely grown crops in Tuvalu are taro and coconut. In addition, copra (the dried flesh of a coconut used in making coconut oil) is a major part of Tuvalu's economy.

Fishing has also played an historic role in Tuvalu's economy because the islands have a maritime exclusive economic zone of 500,000 square miles (1.2 million sq km) and because the region is a rich fishing ground, the country gains revenue from fees paid by other countries such as the U.S. wanting to fish in the region.

Geography and Climate of Tuvalu

Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries on Earth. It is in Oceania south of Kiribati and halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Its terrain consists of low lying, narrow coral atolls and reefs and it is spread over nine islands which stretch for just 360 miles (579 km). Tuvalu's lowest point is the Pacific Ocean at sea level and the highest is an unnamed location on the island of Niulakita at only 15 feet (4.6 m). The largest city in Tuvalu is Funafuti with a population of 5,300 as of 2003.

Six of the nine islands comprising Tuvalu have lagoons open to the ocean, while two have landlocked regions and one has no lagoons. In addition, none of the islands have any streams or rivers and because they are coral atolls , there is no drinkable ground water. Therefore, all of the water used by Tuvalu's people is gathered via catchment systems and is kept in storage facilities.

Tuvalu's climate is tropical and is moderated by easterly trade winds from March to November. It has a heavy rain season with westerly winds from November to March and although tropical storms are rare, the islands are prone to flooding with high tides and changes in sea level.

Tuvalu, Global Warming, and Rising Sea Levels

Recently, Tuvalu has gained significant media attention worldwide because its low-lying land is so susceptible to rising sea levels. The beaches surrounding the atolls are sinking due to erosion caused by waves and this is exacerbated by rising sea levels. In addition, because the sea level is rising on the islands, Tuvaluans must continually deal with their homes flooding, as well as soil salination. Soil salination is a problem because it is making it difficult to get clean drinking water and is harming crops as they cannot grow with the saltier water. As a result, the country is becoming more and more dependent on foreign imports.

The issue of rising sea levels has been a concern for Tuvalu since 1997 when the country began a campaign to show the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, reduce global warming and protect the future of low lying countries. In more recent years though, the flooding and soil salination have become such a problem in Tuvalu that the government there has made plans to evacuate the entire population to other countries as it is believed that Tuvalu will be completely submerged by the end of the 21st century.

Resources and Further Reading

• Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, April 22). CIA The World Factbook -- Tuvalu .
• Infoplease.com. (n.d.) Tuvalu: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com .
• United States Department of State. (2010, February). Tuvalu (02/10).
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Imaginative Geographies of Climate Change Induced Displacements and Migrations: A Case Study of Tuvalu

Since climate change is both about physicality (physical transformations) and the ideational (various ideas, understandings and representations), it is more revealing and enlightening to focus on the interplay between the two. Taking Tuvalu, a small Island country in the Pacific with 10,509 inhabitants as my case study, and against the backdrop of highly alarmist geopolitical discourses about climate change in the small islands of the Pacific. I make the following argument in this paper. The so-called 'endangered nation' of Tuvalu is a revealing example of how displacements and migrations are likely to be caused (rather forced) more due to the government policy responses anchored in the imagined geographies of fear i.e. in anticipation of climate change consequences) than by material transformations in the environment per-se. Through a critical engagement with the official discourses, scholarly articles and media reporting, I further argue and illustrate that the discourse of climate displacements and relocations has a far more complex geography to it than normally acknowledged.

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New evidence is emerging to suggest that climate change mobility is giving effect to changing forms of island identity among Tuvaluans and i-Kiribati. This nascent shift prompts a number of questions addressed in this paper. What, for example, does climate change migration mean for island identity and its geographic performance? How does the spatialization of identity inform shared experiences of climate change, and how does identity assist in the formation of shared positions from which to advocate for change? Drawing on discourses of sedentarism and mobilization among Tuvaluan and i-Kiribati, we explore performances of identity related to climate change being fashioned and refashioned in different contexts.

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The citizens of the Marshall Islands have been told that sea level rise and other impacts of climate change will doom their low-lying country, and they have seen evidence in the land, air, and sea to confirm it. This book investigates how grassroots Marshallese society has interpreted and responded to this threat. Islanders triangulate between observations of ecological and cosmic change; media, government, and NGO translations of climate science; and informal exegesis of Genesis and Revelation passages that speak to climate change. With Biblical, historical, and psychological grounds to dismiss the threat, Marshall Islanders have instead largely embraced it. With reasons to forswear guilt and responsibility, they have instead adopted in-group blame and worked to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. Having been instructed that mass resettlement is inevitable, they have vowed instead to retain the homeland through adaptation measures. These predominant responses are understandable in light of a pre-existing Marshallese narrative of cultural decline and seduction by American modernity, inspired by a long history of contact with powerful foreigners and their colonial, economic, and military agendas. Climate change is understood to be both cause and consequence of ‘living by money,’ and its final act, the destruction of the archipelago, is considered the ultimate triumph of modernity. This case study illuminates islander agency at the intersection of the local and the global, and suggests a theory of risk perception based on ideological commitment to narratives of historical progress and decline.

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Sea level rise in Tuvalu, South Pacific

Tuvalu, a country consisting of several small islands, has been described as a canary in a mine, as it is predicted to become the first country to disappear into the ocean (Mason, n.d.).

Location of Tuvalu Why is the sea level rising?

Global sea-level rise is caused by the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica and the expansion of seawater as it heats up (Humphreys, 2019a).  Over the period 1901-2010 global average sea levels rose 0.19 metres (IPCC, 2013). Predictions for future sea-level rise vary. The impact on varying levels of sea-level rise in different locations can be explored by looking  at this map.   

Tuvalu's vulnerability to sea-level rise

As the fourth smallest country in the world, Tuvalu is a nation made up of several widely dispersed low-lying islands which are located between Australia and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. It is described as ‘ perhaps the most threatened atoll  nation due to impacts of climate change’ by Tuvalu’s former prime minister Enele Sopoaga (The Guardian, Oct 2019).  Indeed, over 30 years ago (in 1989) a United Nations report stated that Tuvalu would vanish in the twenty-first century unless global warming was drastically reduced (Mason, n.d.).

What are the effects of climate change on Tuvalu?

Tuvalu's fight for existence - Environmental justice

The ASIS (Alliance for Small Island States) has been arguing that there should be urgent international action to mitigate climate change. Mitigation of climate change could be achieved by the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or the enhancement of carbon sinks, where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere, such as by increasing tree cover.  The ASIS argues that damaging greenhouse emissions have been caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, mainly by rich industrialised countries.  They argue that as small island states have not been responsible for the damaging greenhouse gas emissions, but are suffering the consequences, it is the industrialised countries who caused the problem that should take responsibility. To do this the industrialised countries should cover more of the cost of adaption measures to help deal with the effects of climate change.  The issue of who should take responsibility is one of ethics and moral fairness.  It is a matter of ‘environmental justice’ (Humphreys 2019).  

The future for Tuvalu? 

Disagreements continue internationally with some big polluters, such as the US, being reluctant to take action to curb their emissions.  Even if urgent action for mitigation began now, the sea level will continue to rise for some time.  In the meantime, Tuvalu has its own Coastal Adaption Plan.  This includes mitigation such as a programme of tree planting and adaption: community water tank projects, seawall construction (UNDP, 2020) and new housing built on stilts (Mason, n.d.).  However, given the uncertain future some Tuvalu residents have relocated to other countries and others are planning similar moves.  People with children are especially concerned that there will be no future on the islands.  "I'm worried about the islands," said one woman with tears in her eyes. "This is the best island I know, and I think it's going to end up under the sea. We're thinking of migrating to New Zealand. I don't want my children to see this, it's enough." (Mason, n.d.). 

EXPLORE FURTHER: To see how  Bangladesh is coping with the effects of sea-level rises, click here. Too see how your local area might be affected, follow  this link to the map  produced by Climate Central, based on the  recent paper by Kulp and Strauss (2019). 

Edwards, T. (2017) Future of the Sea: Current and Future Impacts of Sea Level Rise in the UK, FORESIGHT, Government Office for Science

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/663885/Future_of_the_sea_-_sea_level_rise.pdf

Accessed 25 th January 2020

Humphreys, D. (2019) ‘Climate Change: an introduction to a heated debate’, Chapter 1, in Jehlicka, P. and D. Humphreys, D. (Eds) Environmental Policy in an International Context, Milton Keynes, The Open University

Jehlicka, P. and D. Humphreys, D. (Eds) (2019 Glossary, in Environmental Policy in an International Context, Milton Keynes, The Open University

Mason, M.K. (n.d.)  ‘Tuvalu: Flooding, Global Warming, and Media Coverage

http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html

Accessed 27 th January 2020

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/oct/23/former-tuvalu-pm-says-he-was-stunned-by-scott-morrisons-behaviour-at-pacific-islands-forum Accessed 7 th February 2020

https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/polynesia/tuvalu

Accessed 28 th January 2020

https://350.org/

Accessed 30 th January 2020

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How tuvalu is dealing with impacts of the climate crisis.

5 December 2023, Dubai UAE - As a small, low-lying atoll nation in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, Tuvalu faces extraordinary challenges due to climate change, in particular from sea level rise.

By 2050, it is estimated that half the land area of the nation’s capital Funafuti will become flooded by tidal waters. By 2100, 95% of land will be flooded by routine high tides. Climate change also poses extreme risks to drinking water, food security, and energy supply.

Speaking on the margins of COP28 in Dubai, UAE, Tuvalu’s Minister for Finance, Hon. Seve Paeniu said the situation for his country is “very dire.”

“Our communities live with the reality of their land being eaten away by coastal erosion and rising sea levels, their foreshores eroding, some of the islands are disappearing,” he said. “When people talk about relocation, the concept doesn’t work in Tuvalu, we are a low-lying atoll nation just two metres above sea level with a very thin strip of land. So when you move from the foreshore inland, you actually go into the ocean on the other side. That’s how precarious our situation in Tuvalu.”

Hon. Paeniu is among Pacific leaders at COP28 amplifying the One Pacific Voice calling for urgent and ambitious climate action to address climate change. Despite the Pacific’s minimal contribution to the causes of climate change, Pacific communities are placed at the forefront of the crisis.

“Our taro plantations and our crops are dying because sea water has infiltrated our lands. Our fisheries has also been affected because of the salinity and the warming of the sea and so forth,” said Hon. Paeniu.

“Non-economic losses are real, our culture, traditions, language are very closely aligned with the land, so when you lose part of your land, that takes away part of your culture. That’s the non-economic loss we would like the Loss and Damage Fund to support. We need the Board to finalise the access procedures.”

According to the Minister of Finance, Tuvalu is not just making noises on the global stage, the Government is also actively seeking home grown solutions. One of them is Tuvalu’s Long-Term Adaptation Plan (L-TAP), also known as 'Te Lafiga o Tuvalu' (Tuvalu’s Refuge), developed by the Government of Tuvalu with the support of UNDP.

The plan presents a new approach to adaptation, designed to provide comprehensive solutions beyond 2100. The vision: 3.6 square kilometres of raised, safe land with staged relocation of people and infrastructure over time; a sustainable water supply; greater food and energy security; and space for expanding civic and commercial areas, including government offices, schools, and hospitals.

“For Tuvalu, the only permanent solution to protecting our land is to build more land and build up and that’s the true cost of adaptation. We didn’t cause climate change and sea level rise yet we face the full brunt of it. So loss and damage and climate financing needs to be provided at scale to enable us to implement permanent adaptation solutions to save our land,” he said.

“The accessibility to climate finance is really important. We need to have ready access to the Loss and Damage Fund and other climate finance mechanisms. Tuvalu has also come up with a Long-term Adaptation Plan to build more land and build upwards.

“We are doing our due diligence and planning and we will put that across to the international community over the coming months in terms of the cost.”

The Minister also highlighted Tuvalu’s Climate Change and Disaster Survival, established in December 2015 to provide immediate vital services to the people of Tuvalu in combating the devastating impact of climate change and natural disasters; and allow Tuvalu to respond to future climate change impacts and natural disasters in a coordinated, effectively and timely manner.

“The last cyclone we had, we were able to provide monies from the Tuvalu Survival Fund to compensate for housing and properties damaged as a result of that cyclone. It’s a small fund but it’s mechanism that is fit for purpose and we would like to welcome more contributions by partners to help us with this.”

The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) in Dubai, UAE is taking place from Thursday 30 November 2023 – Tuesday 12 December 2023.

It is being attended by Pacific leaders and their delegations, who are advocating for the survival of Pacific communities who continue to be at the forefront of climate change impacts.

A key part of amplifying the One Pacific Voice at COP28 is the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion, which is a Pacific partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. Another key part of the Pacific’s work at COP28 is the Pacific Delegation Office, which is Pacific partnership with Aotearoa New Zealand. Both the Moana Pacific Pavilion and the Pacific Delegation Office are managed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

Related Content

Social justice is climate justice in tuvalu, development of tuvalu national adaptation plan progresses to next steps, science says tuvalu will drown within decades; the reality is worse, world bank provides us$11.5 million grant to boost tuvalu’s climate and disaster resilience, preparedness, and respons.

Kenneth's Geography Blog

Wednesday, may 2, 2012, sea level rise case study: tuvalu, 3 comments:.

Thank you. Very useful information :)

Thank you very detailed, will be useful in my AS geography exam tomorrow :)

Sames Geege starting to wish I never to AS geog it takes the mic.

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Sustainable Urban Living – East Village

Sustainable Urban Transport Bristol Case Study

Bristol – A major UK city

Volcanic Eruptions

Eyjafjallajokull – 2010

Mount Merapi – 2010

Mount Pinatubo – 1991

Sakurajima Case Study

Nyiragongo Case Study

Water Resources

Hitosa, Ethiopia – A local water supply scheme in an LIC

The South-North Water Transfer Project, China

Wakal River Basin Project

Lesotho Large-Scale Water Transfer Scheme

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Maldives & Tuvalu Case Study

• Coastal environments
• Created by: lewis.mackk05
• Created on: 08-11-22 10:13
• Isolated islands are ignored as most money is spent on the capital city Male
• Sustainable management of traditional income sources (e.g. fishing) are overlooked in favour of protecting tourist and urban developments.
• They have been more successful than the government because they have involved and centred their efforts around the locals, rather than tourists (public participation).
• The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has provided small grants to locals on the islands in order for them to help develop sustainable and organic farming.
• The organisation Mangroves for the Future (MMF) is educating communities about the importance of coastal mangroves as a defence against erosion and flooding, hence reducing their deforestation.
• Tuvalu is a low-lying Pacific Island, which is becoming increasingly vulnerable as eustatic sea level rise continues. Most areas in Tuvalu are only 1-2m above sea level with the highest point only 4.5m above sea level. Its population have had to mitigate to the changing coastal environment or forced to migrate to New Zealand.
• Residents need to construct cyclone shelters to prevent injury
• Residents grow staple crops in concrete plots and must travel further inland to access a freshwater supply to drink from and water their crops.
• . Therefore, there is a growing number of environmental refugees from Tuvalu who must live in New Zealand to survive
• Overall Migration will result in a better standard of living, but cultural tensions can arise between the migrants and locals.

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