Sinking Islands Cling to Kyoto Lifebuoy

SYDNEY – Islanders on tiny Tuvalu in the South Pacific last week saw the future of global warming and rising sea levels, as extreme high tides caused waves to crash over crumbling sea-walls and flood their homes.

“Our island is sinking together with our hearts,” wrote Silafaga Lalua in Tuvalu News (www.tuvaluislands.com).
Tuvalu is a remote island nation consisting of a fringe of atolls covering just 25.9 sq km (10 sq miles), with the highest point no more than 5 metres (17 ft) above sea level, but most a mere 2 metres (6.5 ft).

Global warming from greenhouse gas pollution is regarded as the main reason for higher sea levels, now rising about 2mm (0.08 in) a year, which could swamp low-lying nations such as Tuvalu and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean if temperatures keep rising.

On Feb. 16, a landmark UN pact to curb global warming comes into force. Under the Kyoto Protocol, developed countries are meant to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, largely from burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil in power plants, factories and cars, by an average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during 2008-12.

Planet Ark