About 5,067 kilometres north-east of Australia, in the South Pacific Ocean, you'll find Tuvalu. A country home to just a little over 11,000 people that's made up of 9 islands, that to be honest look pretty, well pretty. Actually, they look really pretty. But these small pretty islands are facing a pretty big problem.
You see, Tuvalu is only about 4.6 metres above sea level at its highest point which means as sea levels rise it's starting to sink. It's partly due to climate change. Which, as we know, is melting glaciers causing sea levels to rise. Climate change is also thought to be contributing to extreme weather events which can contribute to coastal erosion. All of this is threatening homes, destroying crops and a lot of people are worried the whole country will disappear in the next century.
HAWAII PAENIU, TUVALU RESIDENT: I hope that I will not have to leave my country. This is where I grew up and this is my home.
It's not just Tuvalu that is experiencing this problem. Not too far away countries like Vanuatu and Kiribati are both at risk of becoming submerged. It's why leaders from these countries want more to be done about climate change. It was actually a big topic at the recent Pacific Islands Forum, where countries like Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, PNG and Tuvalu, as well as Australia and New Zealand talk about things like trade, education, tourism and, yes, climate change. This year our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, made an announcement about what Australia will be doing to help Tuvalu with rising sea levels.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I believe that developed nations have a responsibility to provide assistance and that is precisely what we are doing.
Every year we will resettle up to 280 people from Tuvalu to Australia under a new visa system that will allow people to live, work and study here.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: This is the most significant agreement between Australia and a Pacific Island nation ever.
KAUSEA NATANO, TUVALU PRIME MINISTER: This partnership stands as a beacon of hope.
While many see this as a massive deal that will help people affected by the rising sea levels. Others say way more needs to be done, because as the climate continues to change, more and more countries will be impacted. In fact, the UN predicts that by 2050 there could be more than 1.5 billion climate refugees needing a new home.
MAINA TALIA, TUVALU CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK: Most of the people in Tuvalu want to remain on their beautiful islands so of course they have mixed feelings. The treaty is something that came out positive. But on the other hand, we should continue to push Australia to remain strong and stand tall on their climate commitments to the Pacific region, and also to the world.
