Have you ever been to Tuvalu? Have you ever heard of Tuvalu? I’ve been asking around lately. One friend said, “You mean, like the honey? That’s tupelo.” No, not tupelo, Tuvalu. Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations on earth. It consists of nine atolls in the southwest Pacific Ocean. In the rank of nations, Tuvalu brings up the rear in many categories. It has a total land area of less than ten miles. It has a total population of 10,000. There are only 12 members of Parliament. Tuvalu’s economy depends on the export of copra – which is dried coconut – and the sale of stamps. Tuvaluan stamps are a novelty among philatelists. Tuvalu has one other last-place distinction, which by inversion, gives it a first-place distinction. At its highest point, Tuvalu is six feet above sea level. Because of that, Tuvalu will be the first nation on earth to be flooded by rising sea levels, brought about by climate change.
As you can imagine, Tuvaluans are better informed about global warming than the average person. Tuvaluan Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu has traveled the globe, pleading with fellow heads of state to curb their countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and save his sinking nation. He has met little success.
Once a subject of British colonialism, Tuvalu now lives with the modern equivalent, Australian paternalism. But even among his South Pacific neighbors, Mr. Paeniu is finding little support. Australia depends heavily on its coal industry and has declared it will not sign any international agreement on climate change unless it is allowed to increase its emissions of carbon dioxide.
But what has that got to do with us? If big brother Australia doesn’t care about Tuvalu, why should we? One of the people I’ve spoken to about Tuvalu suggested it would be easier and cheaper to just move the entire population somewhere else. That’s true, but it misses the point. What we do to Tuvalu, we do to ourselves. Speaking at the Earth Summit Plus Five in June, President Bill Clinton predicted unchecked global warming will cost the United States some 9,000 square miles of territory in Florida and Louisiana. As Mr. Paeniu listened, I can imagine him being swept with a sense of sadness and relief. Sadness in sharing the helplessness of another leader whose country is about to wash away. Relief that the world’s superpower and leading offender on climate change is perhaps finally waking up and realizing what we’ve done. But then, Clinton said he had no intention of announcing targets for reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by the U.S.
So imagine yourself in Tuvalu. Sun, sand and palm trees, soon to be washed away. Your nation is sinking and you worry every twelve hours, when the tide comes in. You and your fellow citizens have done nothing to warm the planet, but you will be the first to pay a terrible price.
The first shall be last – the last shall be first.
… and the last shall be first
Have you ever been to Tuvalu? Have you ever heard of Tuvalu? I’ve been asking around lately. One friend said, “You mean, like the honey? That’s tupelo.” No, not tupelo, Tuvalu. Tuvalu is one of the smallest nations on earth. It consists of nine atolls in the southwest Pacific Ocean. In the rank of nations, Tuvalu brings up the rear in many categories. It has a total land area of less than ten miles. It has a total population of 10,000. There are only 12 members of Parliament. Tuvalu’s economy depends on the export of copra – which is dried coconut – and the sale of stamps. Tuvaluan stamps are a novelty among philatelists. Tuvalu has one other last-place distinction, which by inversion, gives it a first-place distinction. At its highest point, Tuvalu is six feet above sea level. Because of that, Tuvalu will be the first nation on earth to be flooded by rising sea levels, brought about by climate change.
As you can imagine, Tuvaluans are better informed about global warming than the average person. Tuvaluan Prime Minister Bikenibeu Paeniu has traveled the globe, pleading with fellow heads of state to curb their countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and save his sinking nation. He has met little success.
Once a subject of British colonialism, Tuvalu now lives with the modern equivalent, Australian paternalism. But even among his South Pacific neighbors, Mr. Paeniu is finding little support. Australia depends heavily on its coal industry and has declared it will not sign any international agreement on climate change unless it is allowed to increase its emissions of carbon dioxide.
But what has that got to do with us? If big brother Australia doesn’t care about Tuvalu, why should we? One of the people I’ve spoken to about Tuvalu suggested it would be easier and cheaper to just move the entire population somewhere else. That’s true, but it misses the point. What we do to Tuvalu, we do to ourselves. Speaking at the Earth Summit Plus Five in June, President Bill Clinton predicted unchecked global warming will cost the United States some 9,000 square miles of territory in Florida and Louisiana. As Mr. Paeniu listened, I can imagine him being swept with a sense of sadness and relief. Sadness in sharing the helplessness of another leader whose country is about to wash away. Relief that the world’s superpower and leading offender on climate change is perhaps finally waking up and realizing what we’ve done. But then, Clinton said he had no intention of announcing targets for reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by the U.S.
So imagine yourself in Tuvalu. Sun, sand and palm trees, soon to be washed away. Your nation is sinking and you worry every twelve hours, when the tide comes in. You and your fellow citizens have done nothing to warm the planet, but you will be the first to pay a terrible price.
The first shall be last – the last shall be first.