Islands in the Pacific Ocean are especially threatened by the storm surges and sea level rise brought on by climate change. Some time ago, the president of the island nation of Kiribati threatened to purchase 6,000 acres of Fiji for evacuation and mass migration of his people.
There are more than 1,000 of these at risk islands and atolls that make up the Marshall Islands. The impact of the changing weather has left the capital city of Majuro with only about two hours’ worth of fresh water every other day. Many of the outer islands fare worse with no fresh water at all. Just as New Orleans’ low lying areas are especially endangered during storm surges, Majuro and some of the other urban areas on these islands are only about a meter (3’ 3’’) above sea level. There was widespread flooding in 2008 which caused the government to declare a state of emergency on Christmas morning. The president of the small Republic of Nauru in Micronesia has claimed the Marshall Islands as the nation most endangered from flooding.
See more: InClimate 3; Jan. 3 Kiribati