Hamish Matau is of Tuvaluan descent. Tuvalu is a low-lying island nation about midway between Hawaii and Australia, known as “the sinking paradise of the Pacific”. As a child he accompanied his uncle to the North island of Nanumea where he got stuck for months due to a tropical storm. At the age of 8 he spend days with a 20-liter bucket tied around his waist as a floating device in case he was taken by the storm. Hamish’s parents migrated to New Zealand. His first memories of primary school where being mocked by his peers who said his island is going to disappear in 20 years. He is currently a student in Pacific and Global Health and describes the effects on Climate Change on the islanders’ health, as well as the consequences on the industrial countries’ way of life on his island. We hear the famous speech of Simon Kofe (Tuvalu’s Foreign minister) at the COP 26 where he spoke standing knees-up in the bay to showcase the rise of ocean level in his home island. Hamish reflects on Kofe’s perspective about Tuvalu becoming the first digital nation in the world and wants to act against the prospect. He is currently the youth ambassador of the Nanumea Salvation Seawall Project which aims to build a defense wall around the island and dreams that one day he will be able to move back to Tuvalu.

Rising sea levels, driven by the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica and glaciers worldwide, are reshaping coastlines. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases that warm the planet and accelerate ice melt. Deposition of soot on ice surfaces causes them to darken and absorb more sunlight, further speeding up the thaw. Additionally, warmer oceans expand contributing to rising seas.

Low-lying island nations like Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls in the Pacific, face the greatest threat. With an average elevation below 3 meters, Tuvalu is vulnerable to rising seas, which intensify coastal erosion and storm surges. Saltwater intrusion contaminates freshwater sources and soil, endangering drinking water and staple crops like taro and breadfruit. The consequences extend beyond food security and economics to health issues, such as hypertension from salt-laden water, and the loss of vital ecosystems, including coral reefs.

In the next 30 years, Tuvalu is expected to experience at least 15 centimeters of sea level rise. By 2100, if global temperatures rise by 2.7°C under current climate policies, sea levels could surge 56 centimeters above 2020 levels. Immediate, collective action to phase out fossil fuels is critical - not only to save land but also to preserve irreplaceable cultures and communities.

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