Pacific Island nations threatened by rising sea levels

China Daily/Asia News Network 20 Aug 10;

Global warming could spell the end for a number of tiny island nations in the Pacific, Shi Yingying reports.

Despite their image of paradise on Earth, many Pacific Islands are struggling with environmental issues, such as rising sea levels caused by global warming, pollution, and conflicting relationships between the tourism industry, local culture and ecology.

Inside the Pacific Pavilion, visitors are drawn to the Vanuatu exhibition, which is decorated with fresh tropical flowers and indigenous wooden artworks. The travel poster hanging on the wall portrays this South Pacific Island as a paradise for honeymooners. There is no indication of the magnitude 7.5 quake it suffered earlier this month or the small tsunami that followed. Nor is there any sign of the active volcano on Tanna Island in the country's north.

After the earthquake on Aug 9 - its epicenter was 46 kilometers northwest of the capital Port Vila - the immediate reaction from Vanuatu's authorities was to urge people to move to higher ground.

"Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated. A recorded wave amplitude of 23 centimeters has been observed at Port Vila," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in an email alert.

When Iokapeta Selulo, from the tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu and who works at the Pacific Pavilion, heard the news, she was fearful. "Imagine if it (the earthquake and tsunami) happened to us, we would have nowhere to escape - we don't have any higher ground," she said.

At just 26 square kilometers in land area, Tuvalu is the fourth smallest country in the world. The highest point on the island is only 5 meters above sea level.

"We don't have mountains to escape to and we depend on food imported from Fiji," Selulo said. "The beaches are disappearing. When there's a high tide, you can see seawater moving across roads."

During a king tide, which is what the islanders call the highest tides of the year, waves rolling off the ocean can have a devastating effect. The islands' (Tuvalu has eight islands) main roads are submerged and nearby homes are threatened by the rising waters.

It is estimated that in another 50 years, more than 60 percent of Tuvalu's land will disappear into the ocean, according to figures provided by the nation's meteorological department.

The islands' 10,000 citizens are now thinking about relocation. Not because they want to, but because they have to.

"More and more people leaving Tuvalu and moving to countries with bigger islands, like Fiji. Some of them are my family and friends. They tell me it's for a better education and jobs, but who knows? We never say it outright, but we know our worries are there," said Selulo.

Enchanted by island music and the notion of spending vacations in a Pacific paradise, visitors to the 8,100-square-meter Pacific Pavilion have little idea of the impending crisis faced by these tiny nations.

"Sinking islands? No, I have never thought of it in that way. For me, they are nothing more than faraway places of charm and mystery, and a destination for escape," said visitor Zhang Chi, 22, who just graduated from university and is working as an intern at a local newspaper.

As for Bernadette Rounds Ganilau, the director of the Pacific Pavilion who is responsible for the 16 Pacific Islands and related organizations exhibiting in the joint pavilion, the situation is even more serious than it sounds.

She finds it hard to hold back the tears when she talks about her island home and that of neighboring islands.

"We've got countries here (in the pavilion) that are affected: Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati and part of Marshall Islands," she said. "Those areas in Tuvalu you go to, it's only two feet above the sea level. So when you have a spring tide, it just goes right over the island.

"It is not only our concern that low-lying islands might disappear someday, but also a global one. It's the industrial nations that are making this (global warming) happen," she said. "I just wish that the global community could be more aware of it and focus on what to do to help those who're living on these low-lying islands."

While touring the Pacific Pavilion, Shahmeer Esmail from Canada suggested that it should try and make people aware of the problem. "If it's a big concern, they should highlight it somewhere in the pavilion," he said. "It doesn't have to be a big exhibit, but it should be mentioned somewhere.

"The Pacific Islands are as beautiful as paintings, but I'm not sure if they are even going to be here in 20 years. I think it's such a pity for all if we lose them," said Esmail.

Bitterly disappointed by international forums on global climate change, such as the one held in Copenhagen in December 2009, Ganilau suggested the next summit be held in one of the Pacific Islands already suffering the effects. "Have your meeting in one of our low-lying islands, then something might get done about it, instead of just talk.

"They should meet there, then they will know what it is like to lose your country and have nowhere to run."

Pollution is another urgent problem being faced by those living in the Pacific.

Degradation of the environment is not only being caused by global warming. Deforestation and problems with waste disposal are also affecting the Pacific Islands. And this also has an impact on tourism.

"Tourists come here because of the beautiful environment," said Ganilau. "Our coral, our rainforests, our rivers and streams; we not only want to keep these for the tourists, but also for our children."

Fiji furniture company Pacific Green has been contributing to the preservation of the island's natural environment for more than 20 years by using substitutes for rainforest hardwoods.

"In the South Pacific, we found vast abandoned plantations of coconut palm trees," said Dominic Ryan from Pacific Green. "These trees were planted in the early 1900s, but no longer have a commercial use. We tested the wood from the trees and discovered that it is extremely strong and durable. In fact, it is as hard as traditional hardwood and flexible enough to withstand cyclones."

"We concluded that palm trees would be the perfect ecological substitute and the forests would no longer need to be destroyed," he said.

Pacific Green was invited to exhibit at Expo 2010 Shanghai because of the way it mixes sustainable manufacturing with environmental concerns.

Pacific Islands, meanwhile, are trying to find a balance between tourism - a big foreign exchange earner - and sustainable use of the environment.

"We've set aside areas where we can develop for tourism and other areas that we leave untouched. Most governments in the Pacific are doing this and I think it's very good," said Ganilau, who is also the founder of Fiji's Green Party.

Kotimere Oromita who works in Pacific Pavilion's Kiribati Pavilion said her island's tourist slogan is "For Travelers, Not Tourists." She explains: "We want those who come to our island to experience what we have and accept what we can offer, like fishing and diving."