Tuvalu: Beneath The Rising Tide [2019]
152 images Created 28 May 2019
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Tuvalu is on the front line of climate change.
This unique country is made up of a series of nine islands and coral atolls totalling only 26 square kilometres in land area, spread out near the equator in the western Pacific Ocean.
With an average elevation of only one meter above sea level, the United Nations has predicted that it may be the first nation to disappear, as a result of rising sea levels.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that global sea levels will rise on average between 30-110cm by 2100, if carbon emissions stay at current levels. This will immediately affect hundreds of millions of people who live within a few meters of current sea levels.
The fourth smallest country in the world and one of the least visited, the plight of Tuvalu’s 11,000 residents has been overlooked and underreported.
Each year, seasonal ‘king tides’ inundate the islands of Tuvalu, severely flooding large swathes of the country between the months of January and March.
Additionally, the erosion of land, saltwater encroachment during storm surges and
difficulties with waste management, all
exacerbate the problems Tuvalu faces.
Sean Gallagher travelled to Tuvalu in March 2019 to document the environmental challenges the country currently faces. This is the latest chapter in his long-term work chronicling the effects of climate change in the Asia-Pacific region.
Tuvalu is on the front line of climate change.
This unique country is made up of a series of nine islands and coral atolls totalling only 26 square kilometres in land area, spread out near the equator in the western Pacific Ocean.
With an average elevation of only one meter above sea level, the United Nations has predicted that it may be the first nation to disappear, as a result of rising sea levels.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that global sea levels will rise on average between 30-110cm by 2100, if carbon emissions stay at current levels. This will immediately affect hundreds of millions of people who live within a few meters of current sea levels.
The fourth smallest country in the world and one of the least visited, the plight of Tuvalu’s 11,000 residents has been overlooked and underreported.
Each year, seasonal ‘king tides’ inundate the islands of Tuvalu, severely flooding large swathes of the country between the months of January and March.
Additionally, the erosion of land, saltwater encroachment during storm surges and
difficulties with waste management, all
exacerbate the problems Tuvalu faces.
Sean Gallagher travelled to Tuvalu in March 2019 to document the environmental challenges the country currently faces. This is the latest chapter in his long-term work chronicling the effects of climate change in the Asia-Pacific region.
![Aloito Vaivasa, 26, a fisherman, stands near the shoreline in central Funafuti, the capital of the small Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Land poor micro-states in the region are some of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This has driven many to flee their homelands, in fear of the potential environmental catastophes their countries are vulnerable to, and also in search of higher incomes through better job opportunities provided by other larger countries. It is estimated nearly 20% of Tuvalu's population have left and reside in other countries such as New Zealand and Australia. Young adults are the most likely to leave, with the older generation most likely to stay. A recent report by The Australian National University estimates by 2050, "47% of Tuvaluan adults (4,900 people)...will want to migrate but [will] be unable to do so", with limiting factors being financial and available places on migration programs to other countries.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000IaNbGSr8AsU/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G0000DfWPXUxADOc/I0000IaNbGSr8AsU.jpg)
![Cameron Isala, 25, a fisherman, stands near the shoreline in central Funafuti, the capital of the small Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Land poor micro-states in the region are some of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This has driven many to flee their homelands, in fear of the potential environmental catastophes their countries are vulnerable to, and also in search of higher incomes through better job opportunities provided by other larger countries. It is estimated nearly 20% of Tuvalu's population have left and reside in other countries such as New Zealand and Australia. Young adults are the most likely to leave, with the older generation most likely to stay. A recent report by The Australian National University estimates by 2050, "47% of Tuvaluan adults (4,900 people)...will want to migrate but [will] be unable to do so", with limiting factors being financial and available places on migration programs to other countries. Funafuti, Tuvalu. March, 2019.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000lsiWBQzCvvw/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G0000DfWPXUxADOc/I0000lsiWBQzCvvw.jpg)
![Dencus Tanalua, 24, a carpenter, stands near the shoreline in central Funafuti, the capital of the small Pacific nation of Tuvalu. Land poor micro-states in the region are some of the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This has driven many to flee their homelands, in fear of the potential environmental catastophes their countries are vulnerable to, and also in search of higher incomes through better job opportunities provided by other larger countries. It is estimated nearly 20% of Tuvalu's population have left and reside in other countries such as New Zealand and Australia. Young adults are the most likely to leave, with the older generation most likely to stay. A recent report by The Australian National University estimates by 2050, "47% of Tuvaluan adults (4,900 people)...will want to migrate but [will] be unable to do so", with limiting factors being financial and available places on migration programs to other countries. Funafuti, Tuvalu. March, 2019.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000GjqT8uVMX0I/fit=180x180/fill=/g=G0000DfWPXUxADOc/I0000GjqT8uVMX0I.jpg)
