Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

Some people debate climate change (1) over glasses of beer.

Some people jerk their knees in denial.

The 103,000 people of Kiribati on their low-lying Pacific archipelago do not have such luxury. Many of its atolls (the nation is comprised of 32 atolls and one raised coral island) lie just a few feet above sea level, straddling the equator near the International Date Line. On Friday, Kiribati President Anote Tong told the Associated Press that his cabinet endorsed a plan this week to purchase 6,000 acres on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, about 1,400 miles south of Kiribati. A church group is selling the fertile land for about $9.6 million. The plan represents an “insurance policy” for the people of Kiribati, although President Tong hopes that not all Kiribati residents will have to leave.

“We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it,” Tong said. “It wouldn’t be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them, moving won’t be a matter of choice. It’s basically going to be a matter of survival.”

Currently, changing rainfall, tidal, and storm patterns pose as much of a threat as sea-level rise, though some villages have already moved, and there have been instances of sea water contaminating the underground fresh water supplies, which are essential for people, trees, and crops. Some scientists have estimated the present level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 2 mm (0.1 inch) per year, a rate that is expected to increase as the result of climate change.

The land on Fiji is three times larger than the atoll of Tarawa (1), home to more than half of Kiribati’s population. Kiribati, known as the Gilbert Islands when it was a British colony, has been an independent country since 1979. Tong is awaiting full parliamentary approval, expected in April, before discussing the plan formally with Fijian officials. Although the GDP of Kiribati is only $1,600 per person, Tong said that the country could draw upon its foreign reserves, socked away from phosphate mining on the archipelago in the 1970s.

In addition, Tong is considering other survival plans, such as reinforcing some islands against rising seas. At one time, the idea of a floating island was considered, but Tong announced this week that a floating island would be too expensive.

“We’re trying to secure the future of our people,” he said. “The international community needs to be addressing this problem more.”

No kidding….

-Bill at

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