Editing Tuvalu (section)

===Impact of climate change===
{{main|Climate change in Tuvalu}}
As low-lying islands lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, the communities of Tuvalu are especially susceptible to changes in sea level and undissipated storms.<ref name="SS">{{cite web |last=Farbotko |first=Carol |title=Saving Tuvaluan Culture from Imminent Danger |url=http://www.unescoapceiu.org/data/file/sangsaeng/740725887_489f1ed7_sangsaeng21.pdf |access-date=20 November 2012 |work=Climate Change: Risks and Solutions, 'Sang Saeng', pages 11–13, No 21 Spring 2008. Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO |archive-date=20 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620194747/http://www.unescoapceiu.org/data/file/sangsaeng/740725887_489f1ed7_sangsaeng21.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IV">{{cite web |last=Lazrus |first=Heather |title=Island Vulnerability (Tuvalu) |url=http://www.islandvulnerability.org/tuvalu.html |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=4 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704094233/http://www.islandvulnerability.org/tuvalu.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Tuvalu Report of In-Country Consultations |url=http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/countries/tuvalu/49.pdf |access-date=13 October 2011 |work=Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREC) |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118160535/http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/countries/tuvalu/49.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> At its highest, Tuvalu is only {{convert|4.6|m|ft}} above sea level. Tuvaluan leaders have been concerned about the effects of rising sea levels.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 July 1997 |title=Sea Level Rise A Big Problem For Tuvalu, Prime Minister Says |url=http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/023.html |access-date=24 December 2009 |archive-date=25 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625023538/http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/24/023.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is estimated that a sea level rise of {{convert|20|–|40|cm|in|abbr=off}} in the next 100 years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable.<ref name="Patel">{{cite journal |author=Patel, S. S. |year=2006 |title=A sinking feeling |journal=Nature |volume=440 |issue=7085 |pages=734–736 |bibcode=2006Natur.440..734P |doi=10.1038/440734a |pmid=16598226 |s2cid=1174790 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="HJA">{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=J. A. |year=2002 |title=Note on Relative Sea Level Change at Funafuti, Tuvalu |url=http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |access-date=2 March 2017 |work=Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre, Australia |archive-date=2 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302112642/http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> A study published in 2018 estimated the change in land area of Tuvalu's nine atolls and 101 reef islands between 1971 and 2014, indicating that 75% of the islands had grown in area, with an overall increase of more than 2%.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 February 2018 |title='Sinking' Pacific nation is getting bigger, showing islands are geologically dynamic: study {{!}} The Japan Times|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/11/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/sinking-pacific-nation-getting-bigger-showing-islands-geologically-dynamic-study/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211084934/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/11/asia-pacific/science-health-asia-pacific/sinking-pacific-nation-getting-bigger-showing-islands-geologically-dynamic-study/|archive-date=11 February 2018|access-date=5 December 2019}}</ref> [[Enele Sopoaga]], the prime minister of Tuvalu at the time, responded to the research by stating that Tuvalu is not expanding and has gained no additional habitable land.<ref name="PSK">{{cite journal |last1=Kench |first1=Paul S |last2=Ford |first2=Murray R |last3=Owen |first3=Susan D |year=2018 |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations |journal=Nature Communications |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=605 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmc=5807422 |pmid=29426825}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 March 2018 |title=Tuvalu PM Refutes Aut Research |language=en-US |url=https://kmt.news/2018/03/19/tuvalu-pm-refutes-aut-research/ |access-date=26 March 2019 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326140508/https://kmt.news/2018/03/19/tuvalu-pm-refutes-aut-research/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Sopoaga has also said that evacuating the islands is the last resort.<ref name="G19">{{cite news |last=Eleanor Ainge Roy |date=17 May 2019 |title='One day we'll disappear': Tuvalu's sinking islands |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/16/one-day-disappear-tuvalu-sinking-islands-rising-seas-climate-change |access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

Whether there are measurable changes in the sea level relative to the islands of Tuvalu is a contentious issue.<ref name="VG">{{cite web |author=Vincent Gray |date=15 June 2006 |title=The Truth about Tuvalu |url=http://www.climatescience.org.nz/blog/the%20truth%20-%20tuvalu%20is%20not%20sinking |access-date=14 April 2018 |archive-date=14 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091633/http://www.climatescience.org.nz/blog/the%20truth%20-%20tuvalu%20is%20not%20sinking |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IB111213">{{cite news |last=de Freitas |first=Chris |date=11 December 2013 |title=Human interference real threat to Pacific atolls |work=NZ Herald/Pacnews |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166377 |access-date=6 January 2018 |archive-date=6 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106173036/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11166377 |url-status=live}}</ref> There were problems associated with the pre-1993 sea level records from Funafuti which resulted in improvements in the recording technology to provide more reliable data for analysis.<ref name="HJA" /> The degree of uncertainty as to estimates of sea level change relative to the islands of Tuvalu was reflected in the conclusions made in 2002 from the available data.<ref name="HJA" /> The uncertainty as to the accuracy of the data from this tide gauge resulted in a modern Aquatrak acoustic gauge being installed in 1993 by the [[Bureau of Meteorology|Australian National Tidal Facility]] (NTF) as part of the AusAID-sponsored South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project.<ref name="JRH">{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=John R. |year=2002 |title=A Note on Relative Sea Level Change at Funafuti, Tuvalu |url=http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |access-date=6 January 2018 |publisher=Antarctic Cooperative Research Centre |archive-date=2 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302112642/http://probeinternational.org/library/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/A-Note-on-Relative-Sea-Level-Change.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The 2011 report of the ''Pacific Climate Change Science Program'' published by the Australian Government,<ref>{{cite web |date=November 2011 |title=Climate Change in the Pacific: Scientific Assessment and New Research |url=http://www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312001741/http://www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications.html |archive-date=12 March 2011 |access-date=30 November 2011 |work=Pacific Climate Change Science Program (Australian Government)}}</ref> concludes: "The sea-level rise near Tuvalu measured by satellite altimeters since 1993 is about {{convert|5|mm|1|abbr=on}} per year."<ref name="CCP2ch15">{{cite book |title=Climate Change in the Pacific: Volume 2: Country Reports |publisher=Pacific Climate Change Science Program |year=2011 |location=Australia Government |chapter=Ch.15 Tuvalu |chapter-url=http://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/publications/reports/climate-variability-extremes-and-change-in-the-western-tropical-pacific-2014/ |access-date=14 March 2015 |archive-date=29 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629174234/https://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/publications/reports/climate-variability-extremes-and-change-in-the-western-tropical-pacific-2014/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu has adopted a national plan of action as the observable transformations over the last ten to fifteen years show Tuvaluans that there have been changes to the sea levels.<ref name="NAP">{{cite web |date=May 2007 |title=Tuvalu's National Adaptation Programme of Action |url=http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |access-date=7 September 2015 |work=Department of Environment of Tuvalu |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172644/http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> These include sea water bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools at high tide and the flooding of low-lying areas including the airport during [[Perigean spring tide|spring tides]] and [[king tide]]s.<ref name="MKM" /><ref name="AHK1" /><ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Moya K. |year=1983 |title=Tuvalu: Flooding, Global Warming, and Media Coverage |url=http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=14 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014104002/http://www.moyak.com/papers/tuvalu-climate-change.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dekker |first=Rodney |date=9 December 2011 |title=Island neighbours at the mercy of rising tides |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-09/tuvalu-kiribati-climate-change/3720408 |access-date=9 December 2011 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |archive-date=2 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302174115/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-09/tuvalu-kiribati-climate-change/3720408 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cham">{{cite journal |author1=Anne Fauvre Chambers |author2=Keith Stanley Chambers |year=2007 |title=Five Takes on Climate and Cultural Change in Tuvalu |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=294–306 |doi=10.1353/cp.2007.0004 |s2cid=161220261}}</ref>

In November 2022, [[Simon Kofe]], Minister for Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs, proclaimed that in response to rising sea levels and the perceived failures by the outside world to combat global warming, the country would be uploading a virtual version of itself to the metaverse in an effort to preserve its history and culture.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Craymer |first=Lucy |date=2022-11-15 |title=Tuvalu turns to the metaverse as rising seas threaten existence |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-turns-metaverse-rising-seas-threaten-existence-2022-11-15/ |access-date=2022-11-17 |archive-date=17 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117213358/https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/tuvalu-turns-metaverse-rising-seas-threaten-existence-2022-11-15/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The major concerns about climate change has led to the launching and development of the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA). These adaptation measures are needed to decrease the amount and volume of the negative effects from climate change. NAPA has selected seven adaptation projects with all different themes. These are: coastal, agricultural, water, health, fisheries (two different projects) and disaster. For example, a "target" of one of these projects, like the project "coastal", is "increasing resilience of coastal areas and settlement to climate change". And for the project "water" it is "adaptation to frequent water shortages through increasing household water capacity, water collection accessories, and water conservation techniques".<ref>{{cite web |year=2007 |title=NAPA DRAFT FINAL: Tuvalu's National Adaptation Programme of Action |url=https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |access-date=22 December 2021 |archive-date=12 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212071514/http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project]] (TCAP) was launched in 2017 for the purpose on enhancing the resilience of the islands of Tuvalu to meet the challenges resulting from higher sea levels.<ref name="GCF">{{cite web |last=Bouadze |first=Levan |title=Groundbreaking ceremony in Funafuti for Tuvalu's coastal adaptation |publisher=UNDP Pacific Office in Fiji |page= |date=6 December 2022 |url=https://www.undp.org/pacific/speeches/groundbreaking-ceremony-funafuti-tuvalus-coastal-adaptation |access-date=1 November 2023 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101063815/https://www.undp.org/pacific/speeches/groundbreaking-ceremony-funafuti-tuvalus-coastal-adaptation |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu was the first country in the Pacific to access climate finance from [[Green Climate Fund]], with the support of the [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]].<ref name="GCF"/> In December 2022, work on the Funafuti reclamation project commenced. The project is to dredge sand from the lagoon to construct a platform on [[Funafuti]] that is {{convert|780|m|ft}} meters long and {{convert|100|m|ft}} meters wide, giving a total area of approximately 7.8 ha. (19.27 acres), which is designed to remain above sea level rise and the reach of storm waves beyond the year 2100.<ref name="GCF"/> The Australian [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] (DFAT) also provided funding for the TCAP. Further projects that are part of TCAP are capital works on the outer islands of [[Nanumea]] and [[Nanumaga]] aimed at reducing exposure to coastal damage resulting from storms.<ref name="GCF"/>