Tuvalu's Struggle: Fighting Rising Seas and Preserving Sovereignty

Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation with 11,000 residents, faces existential threats from rising sea levels. With projections suggesting much of the nation will be submerged by 2050, Tuvaluans are anxious about permanent relocation and cultural loss. Efforts are underway to secure legal recognition of its sovereignty and maritime boundaries, even as its land disappears.

Tuvalu and its 11,000 people, living on nine atolls scattered across the Pacific, are running out of time.

Fukanoe Laafai, a 29-year-old clerical worker, wants to start a family but struggles to reconcile her plans with rising sea levels. Scientists predict much of her homeland will be submerged by the time her children reach adulthood. "I think we are about to sink," she said.

Tuvalu's mean elevation is just 2 meters, and sea levels have risen 15 centimeters over the past three decades, 1.5 times the global average. By 2050, NASA scientists project that daily tides will submerge half of Funafuti, home to 60% of Tuvalu's residents.

Life is changing fast: saltwater inundation has ruined groundwater, affecting crops. A climate and security treaty with Australia, announced in 2023, allows 280 Tuvaluans to migrate annually. Diplomatic efforts are underway to establish Tuvalu's legal existence as a sovereign state, even after it is submerged.

Frustration with global response has led Tuvalu's diplomats to shift tactics. In this Christian society, residents fear losing their culture if relocated. Sea walls and artificial land projects aim to buy time, but by 2100, 90% of Funafuti could be underwater.

Diplomats are fighting for legal certainty about what happens when a low-lying island state is swallowed by the sea. On Wednesday, the UN General Assembly will discuss sea-level rise, where Prime Minister Feleti Teo will seek support for Tuvalu's maritime boundaries and statehood. Tuvalu's tuna-rich waters provide crucial revenue, and recognition of its maritime boundaries would offer an economic lifeline.

Efforts to secure maritime boundaries are being supported by some countries and organizations but lack wide international backing. Former judge Simon Kofe asserts that legal recognition of Tuvalu's perpetual statehood contributes to new customary international law. Meanwhile, residents grapple with the prospect of saying goodbye to their homeland.

(With inputs from agencies.)