Climate change in Tuvalu

Climate change is particularly threatening for the long-term habitability of the island country of Tuvalu, which has a land area of only 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi) and an average elevation of less than 2 metres (6.6 ft) above sea level, with the highest point of Niulakita being about 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level. Potential threats to the country due to climate change include rising sea levels, increasingly severe tropical cyclones, high temperatures, and drought.^[1] King tides (Perigean spring tide) can combine with storm surges and the rising sea level to inundate the low lying atolls.^[2]

Tuvalu is widely considered one of the first countries likely to be significantly impacted by rising sea levels due to global climate change.^[3] According to some estimates, the highest tides could regularly flood 50% of the land area of national capital Funafuti by the mid-21st century, and 95% by 2100.^[1] The rising saltwater table could also destroy deep rooted food crops such as coconut, pulaka, and taro before they're overtaken by actual flooding.^[4][5] Meanwhile, one 2018 study from the University of Auckland suggested that Tuvalu may remain habitable over the next century, finding that the country's islands have even grown in area overall in recent decades, though the authors stressed that "Climate change remains one of the single greatest environmental threats to the livelihood and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific" and that "Sea-level rise and climatic change threaten the existence of atoll nations".^[6]

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative^[7] finds that the climate crisis has worsened human rights conditions in the Tuvalu greatly (5.4 out of 6). ^[8] Human rights experts provided that the climate crisis has impacted food, water, and housing security as well as forced migration. ^[9]

The installed PV production capacity in Funafuti in 2020 was 735 kW compared to 1800 kW of diesel (16% penetration).^[10]

The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) suggests that, while Tuvalu is vulnerable to climate change, environmental problems such as population growth and poor coastal management also affect sustainable development. SOPAC ranks the country as extremely vulnerable using the Environmental Vulnerability Index.