Tuvalu is heavily impacted by climate change. This is because Tuvalu consists of nine islands that “are very low-lying, their morphology is entirely dependent on coral growth, they have shallow freshwater lenses which are easily depleted in times of drought, have high population densities, and people’s diets are heavily dependent on fisheries.”[1] As a result, many scholars and documentaries have described the nation as “‘disappearing,’ ‘drowning,’ and ‘sinking.'”[2]This causes migration to occur, yet climate change is not seen as a reason to migrate; instead, economic issues like socio-economic status, geographical location, and greater access to resources influence Tuvaluans’ decisions to migrate.[3]
The Use of Migration
The Tuvaluan government enforces migration as a strategy to respond to climate change-related issues. Migration from Tuvalu mostly occurs to New Zeeland(NZ). The shared historical and cultural connections make it easier for Tuvaluans to adapt to NZ. [4] NZ also promotes the “Pacific Access Category Resident Visa” (PACRV), where i-Kiribati, Tuvaluans, Tongans, and Fijians can register for a ballot, and if their names are drawn, they are invited to apply for residence.[5] This scheme allows seventy-five Tuvaluans per year to enter the country as permanent residents.[6] However, the figure has doubled for the 2022 and 2023 ballots. The government’s decision to increase the quota was announced on 21 September 2022, reflecting how the border closures due to Covid-19 meant that new applications could not be considered during 2020 and 2021.[7] This visa enables Tuvaluans to quickly become NZ residents, and once they have settled, they can easily send applications to invite other family members to join them through the various family reunification visas.[8] Most Tuvaluans already have pre-existing family networks in NZ, which help sponsor and support their migration journeys.[9]
Migration to NZ also occurs through the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme. This scheme, introduced in 2007, allows NZ’s horticulture and viticulture industries to employ workers from eligible Pacific countries, including Tuvalu, to work here on temporary visas and provide for their families back home.[10] The scheme allows Tuvaluans and I-Kiribati to work in NZ for two due to distance and travel costs.[11] In contrast, Australia and the US have strong migration policies and controls in place which discourage Tuvaluans from migrating there.[12] This reflects how migration to NZ is easier and more frequent for Tuvaluans. By migrating to NZ, Tuvaluans contribute remittances towards Tuvalu’s economy. In previous years, remittances have made up about 30% of the country’s gross national income.[13] This reflects how remittances made up 40% of household income in 2015, with 51% of households receiving a transfer of remittances.[14] This shows how the Tuvaluan government uses migration as a strategy because of the positive impacts it has on their economy.
Despite the migration policies in place, most Tuvaluans, especially the elderly, refuse to migrate and do not believe in the impacts of climate change. This is because of their Christian beliefs that God made a promise to Noah in the Bible.[15] As a result, they share the view that they are happy in God’s hand and would rather go down with the island rather than migrate due to climate change.[16] Others have also shared that they want to maintain their identities and cultural connections, which they believe they will lose if they leave Tuvalu.[17] In particular, a study conducted by Mortreux and Barnett found that Tuvaluans see migration as a last resort where they have lost their sovereign right and identity, showing how they have given up their fight against climate change.[18] This reflects how many Tuvaluans do not see climate change as a reason to migrate but instead migrate due to the better service, employment, and opportunities available in NZ.[19] This reflects the attachment that people have to their land and country, as they would rather suffer the consequences than leave.
Governmental Policies and Adaptation Measures
The Tuvaluan government is also pursuing policies to respond to climate change-related issues. The 2007 National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) depicts how coastal erosion and land loss impact the island.[20] In response, the document recognises the adaptation projects that they need to implement to mitigate the impacts of climate change. To further implement these projects, in May 2011, the Tuvaluan government announced that they would be working with “the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programmes (SPREP) through the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) project.”[21] UNDP is one of the agencies that stems from the United Nations; in particular, they emphasize that they want to help states with “sustainable development, democratic governance and peacebuilding, and climate and disaster resilience.”[22] In comparison, SPREP is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes cooperation within the Pacific region so that states can work together to protect and manage the region’s environmental and natural resources.[23]
This 2009 project is the Pacific’s largest adaptation measure for climate change focusing on how states can work on a national and international scale for “practical demonstrations of adaptation measures, driving the mainstreaming of climate risks into national development planning and activities, and sharing knowledge in order to build adaptive capacity.”[24] Through this project, Tuvalu is trying to capture, store and save more rain and water as well as reduce water leakages so that they can improve their management of water resources.[25] In addition, some of Tuvalu’s other adaptation measures include developing “a disaster plan, the plant-a-tree programme, community water tank projects, and seawall construction.”[26] The above examples demonstrate how the PACC Project and NAPA go hand-in-hand with each other.
The Tuvaluan government also set out a 10-year plan in Te Kaniva, Tuvalu’s Climate Change Policy ranging from the years 2012 to 2021. The essential outcome of this policy is “to protect Tuvalu’s status as a nation and its cultural identity and to build its capacity to ensure a safe, resilient and prosperous future.”[27] The policy highlights how most Tuvaluans do not want to migrate because they believe they will lose their nationality and cultural identity. The policy also acknowledges some of the risks that climate change poses in Tuvalu, such as the sea-level rise and drought, which need adaptation measures in place to mitigate and manage them.[28] Interestingly, the policy acknowledged how there is a lack of public awareness and education in schools regarding climate change-related issues. [29] To change this, the policy states that the government wants the issues, impacts, risks, and management of climate change to be incorporated into the school curriculum so that all children, from pre-schoolers to tertiary students, have an increased understanding of climate change.[30] As a result, more younger generations are becoming increasingly aware of climate change. This was confirmed in a study conducted by Shen and Gemenne, where they found that Tuvalu children know about climate change and how sea-level rise is one of the consequences of it.[31] Interestingly, despite knowing the risks of climate change, they do not know if they will ever migrate because of it.[32] This was confirmed by one boy stating that he was scared of sea-level rise, but he refused to acknowledge the concept of migration.[33] This reflects how the government’s decision to educate children on climate change has been a successful strategy.
The Construction of Seawalls and (re)planting Crops
In addition, Tuvalu planted crops and constructed seawalls to respond to climate change. Both of these strategies are part of Tuvalu’s adaptation policies projects. In particular, one of the key goals in the Tuvalu Agriculture Strategic Marketing Plan 2016-2025 is to “preserve and breed more climate-resilient traditional food crops.”[34] A key reason for implementing this strategy is because climate change is increasingly causing crops in Tuvalu to get infested with diseases and pests such as fruit flies.[35] The Plan sets out short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. In sum, the short-term (2016) goals focus on planning and funding the project.[36] The medium-term (2017-2019) goals focus on creating schemes for replanting along with developmental plans for the island.[37]The long-term (2020-2025) goals focus on implementing these schemes and policies so that food crops can be protected from the risks of climate change.[38] This is an important strategy because it means that people will be able to continue providing income for their families.
The government has launched a Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project. The project aims to build an increased amount of coastal resilience.[39] Following Cyclone Pam, the UNDP commissioned a project to rebuild a higher seawall as the cyclone had damaged the earlier one.[40]In effect, the Hall Pacific Company was hired to rebuild the seawall as the project was funded by US$6 million.[41] The project was initially meant to be completed by the end of 2016; however, there have been unknown delays as the seawall was barely constructed in 2018.[42] In effect, the idea of constructing a floating island began to be considered.[43] However, sustainable development experts have criticised this as it would segregate the privileged from the underprivileged.[44] No such claims have been made as to whether or not the government will implement such a strategy. The project builds on previous initiatives to increase the area of coastal protection by 2,210 metres.[45] By doing this, the government wants to strengthen institutions and raise more awareness of coastal resilience, reduce the vulnerability of infrastructures such as homes and schools against wave damage and establish long-term adaptation measures that are financially sustainable.[46] This reflects how the project covers a wide range of initiatives to respond to climate change-related issues.
The Future of Climate Change Responses in Tuvalu
Since Te Kaniva was from 2012 to 2021, it has now become outdated. Tuvalu’s new policy centering on climate change is now the National Environmental Management Strategies (NEMS) 2022-2026.[47] To date, the official policy document has not been published online. As a result, there is not a lot of public knowledge about what the policy entails. Although, during the announcement of the policy, it was said that the policy would guide the government and, thus, the country to ensure the protection and management of a sustainable environment.[48] It has also been said that the environmental activities and planning that will be set out in the policy will be in line with other national priorities and action plans such as NAPA.[49]This reflects how no details of the policy are in the public domain. In effect, it will be noteworthy to see how Tuvalu will manage climate change in the future, as it is an ongoing issue.
[1]Colette Mortreux and Jon Barnett, “Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation in Funafuti, Tuvalu,” Global Environmental Change 19, no.1 (2009): 106.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Constable, “Climate Change and Migration,” 1031; Lacey Allgood and Karen E. McNamara, “Climate-Induced Migration: Exploring Local Perspectives in Kiribati: Climate-Induced Migration,” Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 38, no. 3 (2017): 377.
[4]Shawn Shen and François Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change and Migration: The Case of Tuvaluan Migration to New Zealand.” International Migration 49, no. Supp.1 (2011): e230.
[5] “Information about Pacific Access Category Resident Visa,” New Zealand Immigration. Last accessed 16 October 2022, from https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/pacific-access-category-resident-visa.
[6] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e232.
[7] “Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota reopening announced,” New Zealand Immigration (September 2022). Last accessed 13 October 2022, https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/media-centre/news-notifications/pacific-access-category-and-samoan-quota-reopening-announced.
[8] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e232.
[9] Mortreux and Barnet, “Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation,” 108.
[10] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e232; Charlotte Bedford, Richard Bedford, and Elsie Ho, “Engaging with New Zealand’s Recognized Seasonal Employer Work Policy: The Case of Tuvalu,” Asian and Pacific Migration Journal 19, no. 3 (2010): 421.
[11] “Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme research,” New Zealand Immigration. Last accessed 13 October 2022, from https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/research-and-statistics/research-reports/recognised-seasonal-employer-rse-scheme.
[12] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e231.
[13] United Nations. “Tuvalu National Voluntary GCM Review.” (2022): 2. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/imrf-tuvalu.pdf.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Mortreux and Barnet, “Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation,” 109.
[16] Constable, “Climate Change and Migration,” 1035-1036.
[17] Ibid., 1035.
[18] Mortreux and Barnet, “Climate Change, Migration and Adaptation,” 111.
[19] Ibid., 109.
[20] “Tuvalu’s National Adaptation Programme of Action,” Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, Agriculture and Lands Department of Environment (May 2007): 6. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf.
[21] “Tuvalu National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).”
[22] “About Us,” UNDP. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://www.undp.org/about-us.
[23] “About Us,” Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://www.sprep.org/about-us.
[24] SPREP. “Adapting to Climate Change in the Pacific: the PACC Programme.” (2013): 2. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://www.sprep.org/attachments/Publications/CC/PACC_Programme.pdf.
[25] Ibid., 7.
[26] “Tuvalu,” UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/polynesia/tuvalu.
[27] “Te Kaniva Tuvalu Climate Change Policy,” 4.
[28] “Te Kaniva Tuvalu Climate Change Policy,” 7.
[29] “Te Kaniva Tuvalu Climate Change Policy,” 13.
[30] “Te Kaniva Tuvalu Climate Change Policy,” 16.
[31] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e233
[32] Shen and Gemenne, “Contrasted Views on Environmental Change,” e233.
[33] Ibid.
[34] “Tuvalu Agriculture Strategic Marketing Plan 2016–2025,” Government of Tuvalu (2016): 3. Last accessed 22 October 2022, from http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/tuv171431.pdf.
[35] “Tuvalu’s National Adaptation Programme of Action,” Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment, Agriculture and Lands Department of Environment (May 2007): 12. Last accessed 14 October 2022, from https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/napa/tuv01.pdf.
[36] “Tuvalu Agriculture Strategic Marketing Plan 2016–2025,” Government of Tuvalu (2016): 20. Last accessed 22 October 2022, from http://extwprlegs1.fao.org/docs/pdf/tuv171431.pdf
[37] Ibid.
[38] Ibid.
[39] “Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project,” UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. Last accessed 22 October 2022, from https://www.adaptation-undp.org/projects/tuvalu-coastal-adaptation-project.
[40] “Work underway on stronger seawall in Tuvalu,” RNZ (2016). Last accessed 22 October 2022, from https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/311822/work-underway-on-stronger-seawall-in-tuvalu.
[41] Ibid.
[42]Eleanor Ainge Roy, “’One day we’ll disappear’: Tuvalu’s sinking islands” (2019). Last accessed 22 October 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/16/one-day-disappear-tuvalu-sinking-islands-rising-seas-climate-change
[43] Ibid.
[44] Eleanor Ainge Roy, “Company that builds ‘floating islands’ offers $100,000 bounty to any takers” (2018). Last accessed 22 October 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/may/16/one-day-disappear-tuvalu-sinking-islands-rising-seas-climate-change
[45] “Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project,” UNDP Climate Change Adaptation. Last accessed 22 October 2022, from https://www.adaptation-undp.org/projects/tuvalu-coastal-adaptation-project.
[46] Ibid.
[47] “Tuvalu Launches State Of Environment Report And National Environment Management Strategy,” Christine Tuioti (2022). Last accessed 15 October 2022, from https://www.sprep.org/news/tuvalu-launches-state-of-environment-report-and-national-environment-management-strategy.
[48] “Tuvalu Launches State Of Environment Report And National Environment Management Strategy,” Christine Tuioti (2022). Last accessed 15 October 2022, from https://www.sprep.org/news/tuvalu-launches-state-of-environment-report-and-national-environment-management-strategy.
[49] Ibid.
Himani Chauhan is an International Relations & History graduate and is currently pursuing a Master of Migration Studies from Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). She comes from a family of immigrants, which has shaped her experiences, views, and interests in wanting to further explore and work in this area of study. Her area of interest includes – Migration, History, and Human Rights.