The first country that risks disappearing under the sea

Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, is experiencing the world's first official exodus of climate refugees, as rising sea levels threaten to wipe out the country in the coming decades.

Two of Tuvalu's nine atolls have already been submerged, and scientists predict the entire country will be submerged before the end of the century, perhaps by 2050-2100.

The Tuvalu government and Australia have implemented a groundbreaking agreement: the first 280 climate refugee visas have been issued, allowing part of the population to legally migrate to Australia.

An estimated 80% of the 11,000 inhabitants have already applied to emigrate, but only a small number will be able to do so each year.

While migration is part of the plan, Tuvalu is not giving up on resilience. With support from the Green Climate Fund, the country has launched the ambitious Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project, which aims to strengthen its atolls through coastal engineering techniques: walls, dredging, beach replenishment, and drainage systems.

In Funafuti, the capital, vulnerable areas are being raised to withstand extreme storms until 2100. The goal is not only to hold back the sea, but also to preserve, even if only partially, the land that sustains their culture.

Tuvalu's case is seen as a global warning to other island nations and coastal regions threatened by climate change, desertification, and extreme weather events.

(MH with MaSi - Source : RTVE - Photo : © Unsplash