Sea levels are rising by approximately 3.3mm every year. But this threat is nothing compared to what else it can do.
A video by the BBC has unearthed the reality of sea level rise in Fiji due to climate change. The video documents the village of Vunidogoloa which has been abandoned by its residents due to rising ocean levels.
Rising tides, erosion and storms have forced residents inland to find higher ground as the threat from climate breakdown becomes more apparent.
Flooding caused by climate change is recognised as a reality throughout the world. Rivers overflow in the UK and the Netherlands has constructed the world’s largest flood defence system to cope with the problem. Yet this dangerous change has already hit countries like Kiribati, which is expected to disappear by 2050.
READ: Flooding Poses Significant Risk To Life In Coastal Regions
But what we’re being shown is not new. Relocation has been a practice happening for years.
Fiji not only has to cope with rising sea levels, but potentially life threatening food and water-borne diseases and saltwater intrusion that will aid collapse of the country’s eco-system. This will be hastened by ocean acidification due to increased water temperatures and could deplete local fisheries.
Photograph: Nasa
Stanisland Magazine 