COP28's 'litany of loopholes': Which small island nations are most vulnerable to rising sea levels?

An agreement has been reached at the United Nations COP28 climate talks to "transition away" from fossil fuels, though outrage has been sparked by the decision not to phase them out completely.

The new deal had been floated early on Wednesday and was stronger than a draft proposed days earlier, but had loopholes that upset critics.

Samoa's lead delegate Anne Rasmussen, on behalf of small island nations, complained that they weren't even in the room when COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber said the deal was done.

She said that “the course correction that is needed has not been secured,” with the deal representing business-as-usual instead of exponential emissions-cutting efforts.

She also added the deal could “potentially take us backward rather than forward," calling it "a litany of loopholes".

When Ms Rasmussen finished, delegates whooped, applauded and stood, her response a pillar of hope for the small nations fighting the potential loss of their land, homes, and livelihoods.

The reality is that small island nations are the most vulnerable to climate change. Which ones face the largest threat from rising sea levels?

The Maldives

The Maldives is not just a picturesque holiday destination - the archipelago is made up of over 1,100 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, and is the lowest lying nation in the world.

But rising sea levels, caused by global climate change, is a huge threat to the existence of the Maldives.

At the current rate of global warming, almost 80% of the Maldives could become uninhabitable by 2050, according to multiple reports from NASA and the US Geological Survey.

Last year, its government announced plans to build a "floating city" 10 miles from its capital, Malé, as part of plans to insure the country against rising sea levels.

"In the Maldives we cannot stop the waves, but we can rise with them," said then-president of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed.

Leaders from the Maldives were in attendance at COP28.

The Republic of Palau

Palau is a sovereign island nation in the western Pacific Ocean.

As another low-lying archipelagos, the island is vulnerable to tropical cyclones and coastal erosion.

Flooding impacts the entire population - its economy relies on crops, but farmers have had their land destroyed by tropical storms and sea-level rise.

The Republic of Kiribati

Also in the Pacific Ocean is the nation of Kiribati, a 313-square-mile republic.

Most of the islands in Kiribati sit at just 6.5 feet above sea level.

By 2050, some experts predict that Kiribati will be flooded and the over 100,000 of its people will be forced to leave.

Even without mandatory relocation orders, thousands have already fled.

Fiji

A 11,392-square-mile island nation in the South Pacific, Fiji, with its population of just under one million people, is facing an uphill battle against climate change.

The lowest regions of Fiji's 330 islands are put through hugely damaging wet seasons, bringing storms and flooding.

The nation's coasts, at the greatest risk, are also the most densely populated.

Experts have predicted that more than 600 communities in Fiji could be forced to relocate in the coming years.

The government has taken on a huge task - a special taskforce is currently trying to work out how to move the country. At least six villages have already been relocated.

Samoa

Samoa is an independent island state that sits around half way between Hawaii and New Zealand.

It is mostly mountainous, which has forced most of the activity onto the coastline, as well as it's 200,000+ population.

A recent study estimated that sea level rise around Samoa is occurring over five times faster than the global average due to earthquake-related sinking of the land.

Ms Rasmussen said on Wednesday that the COP28 deal had "a litany of loopholes", echoing the dissatisfaction felt by other delegates from small island nations.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands delegates hugged and cried at COP28 when Ms Rasmussen finished her speech.

Made up of 1,225 islands and spread over 29 coral atolls, the republic, located in the Pacific Ocean, faces a problem just like the others.

Most of the islands are less than seven feet above sea level - Roi-Namur of the Kwajalein Atoll is expected to be almost completely flooded by 2070.

The republic is working to combat the threat, but its population of 42,000 are growing increasingly concerned for their livelihoods.

Tuvalu

An island nation of nine atolls between Australia and Hawaii, 16-square-mile Tuvalu was home to roughly 11,500 people in 2021.

This country is about 6.5 feet above sea level on average, but rising seas are closing the gap.

"We are sinking," Tuvalu's foreign minister Simon Kofe told those in attendance at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.

At a meeting of Pacific leaders in the Cook Islands last month, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a plan that will initially allow up to 280 Tuvaluans - escaping the threat of climate change - to come to Australia each year.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano said the new arrangement with Australia respected both nations’ sovereignty and committed each country to supporting the other through such challenges as climate change.

Cabo Verde

The islands of Cabo Verde in the Atlantic Ocean, also known as Cape Verde, are located around 370 miles off western Africa.

There are nearly 600 miles of coastline in this archipelago, but flash floods, tropical cyclones, and torrential rains threaten Cabo Verde, which has a population of over half a million people.

Due to the country's vulnerability, population density around the coastlines, and limited emergency plans, the nation is in danger as the planet warms.

Rising sea levels are a global threat, and many more small island nations are hurriedly taking precautions to try and at least delay the sinking of their communities.

Other nations who are vulnerable to this danger include the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Solomon Islands, and Seychelles.

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