Dear MEL Topic Readers,
More than a third of this country’s population has applied to relocate
Located about midway between Australia and Hawaii, Tuvalu is an island
country in the Polynesian subregion of the Pacific Ocean. Around 10,000 people
live in the land areas of only 26 km2 on three reef islands and six
atolls. Tuvalu’s average elevation is just two meters above sea level, and the highest
elevation is only 4.6 meters. As sea level rises, the island nation is
predicted to become uninhabitable by the end of the century. When Australia opened
a window for Tuvalians to apply for 280 permanent residency visas in June, over
4,000 Tuvalians applied for the visa scheme. The winners will be chosen by a
random ballot in the next six months. Tuvalu is now trying to recreate everything
they have, land, history, culture, and governmental functions, into a digital
space. Also, Australia has committed to recognizing Tuvalu as an independent sovereign
country even after its land disappears into the sea. But will all the residents
be relocated to other places in time? There are other low-lying places in the
world whose residents will also need to be relocated.
Read the article and learn how desperate Tuvaluans are to move to higher
lands.
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