PARADISE DROWNED TUVALU – The disappearing nation
MILETA VO: The fastest growing
internet domain in the world is Dot TV. It was
a brainwave that my nation seized with open arms. Tuvalu itself is just a dot on the
world. But right now it is in danger of disappearing off the face of it. In Tuvalu
the reality of global warming is being acted out in front of the eyes of the
whole world. Paradise Drowned – Tuvalu
The Disappearing Nation. MUSIC My name is Mileta Falavi. I was born
in this land 23 years ago. Tuvalu
is a tiny Polynesian nation in the middle of the South
Pacific Ocean. We call ourselves the people on the reef. But right now……we face
the biggest crisis we have ever faced. It is a global crisis. Tragically we
Tuvaluans have contributed nothing to the cause of our predicted tragedy. Yet it appears that I my father and
my mother and all my family like all Tuvaluan families will have to leave our
hidden paradise forever. It seems we may
be………………………………….
the first nation in all the world to be driven from our land by the effects of
global warming. Can we stay or will we be forced to
leave our land – that is the big question for all Tuvaluans. KAMUTA VO: Some say that Polynesian people have
lived in the islands of Tuvalu
for 2000 years We are a group of nine atolls, until
recently we had only ever lived on eight. Tu means to stand – Valu means
eight. Tuvalu – our stand of eight atolls. Kamuta the storyteller
was………. once Prime Minister of Tuvalu. Today he is one of our most
respected elders. He knows that now more than ever, it is important to pass on
the history of our land to our children. KAMUTA VO: This is Funafuti the main island where we are now. Most of us live here today as did
most of our ancestors. We have had to fight to defend our lands from invaders. We’ve had to combat storm and
drought. But we have endured and survived. We are strong. After
the…………….. the Europeans discovered our islands
in the 16th Century, slowly our lives began to change They brought
new diseases. During the mid 19th century, traders exploited our
coconut resources. Slave ships arrived at our shores. Hundreds of our young men
and women were taken to Peru
to work in the mines and become domestic servants. None ever returned. Still we endured. Still we survived. We became Christians during this
time. We were annexed by Great Britain
in 1892 and became a part of the British Empire.
We were then called the Ellice Islands a
member of the Gilbert and Ellice Group. We adapted to European ways. We survived. During World War 2 we
were occupied by the Americans and bombed by the Japanese. Battles were fought
on our doorstep. But we survived. We became a member of the United
Nations in the year 2000. Today we are an independent nation of
ten thousand. But, it appears we may now face the greatest enemy that we have
ever faced…………. the effects of climate change. This is not the first time Tuvalu
has faced the rising ocean. The coral is the foundation of our land. As the
coral has grown so have our tiny atolls. Many, many thousands of years ago
there was a big sea level rise. Much bigger than is being predicted now in the
climate change story and in about the centre of Funafuti lagoon there would
have been a mountain some kind of volcano and growing all around it were
corals, just fringing coral reef and as that sea level rose time to time and smash up all the
corals on different parts of the island and push them in on themselves and
then back towards the sinking mountain and then later on algae and bacteria and
some chemical processes happened in those spaces and you get this rocky rim
formed. About six thousand years ago the sea
level from that big sea level rise stopped and it’s been about steady
ever since then…..it goes up and down a little bit and that was the time
when this atoll shape that you see now was pretty well finished. So for thousands of years the islands
of Tuvalu have been sitting
here a paradise in the Pacific ocean. Does
this ocean that created us really want to swallow us up again? I/V Professor Fitzharris
– Otago University: By 2100 the sea level could rise by as
much as .88 of a metre – so almost 1 metre. So for many of these small islands
states they only have one or two metres free board so that’s going to be
quite critical. I/V Dr Vince Gray:
There are great difficulties in getting a
global average seal level rise. First of all the measurements tend to be
concentrated in very few places especially in the Northern hemisphere. They
tend to be in coastal cities where the land goes down and where the water is
pumped from underneath the ground so there’s a tendency for the measurement
to indicate a rise. There is the possibility that equipment that the
measurement devices on might slowly sink. There are the problems of geology
where the land goes up in some places and down in others. There have been
recently satellite measurements of sea level these have now been going on for
only seven years but they are truly global, it has not shown very much
evidence of a rise. I have some doubts about whether the sea level rises that
have been claimed really have happened or whether they are really going to
continue. VO MILETA: The sea is rising – the sea is
not rising – what do we do – who are we to believe. We believe our
eyes. Already there are signs. Tuvalu’s only airport is on Funafuti. It takes up a huge part of the land.
Not so long ago it was regarded as being high ground but, is no more. I/V Paani Laupepa: The water comes through here, bubbles
through here underground cos the sea level is pushing up the water lands, bubbles
through the ground over flows and the water just goes up right up there, I/V PAANI LAUPEPA CONT: every where, all this
part is covered. Ten years ago it wasn’t like this and I know it cos I
lived here and we used to play soccer before the airfield was tarsealed, we
used to play soccer here every afternoon and it wasn’t like this. Now just about three – four
years ago it started - all this water started to come through and this area is
all covered, underwater. VO MILETA: VO MILETA: On average the height above sea level
in Tuvalu
is 2 metres. If the water should rise one whole
metre there will not be a lot of Tuvalu above the sea. MUSIC VO MITEA: Our government is wisely
investing in its young people. They have sponsored many to study in other
countries. Some of us are at Otago University in Dunedin,
New Zealand. A
small city by global standards but 10 times larger than our nation and as
different to our tropical land as it is possible to be. I am in my 2nd
year of a Pharmacology degree. When completed I will have to spend 7 years at
the hospital in Tuvalu
to re-pay my contract to the government. At the end of this time
my future is uncertain as Tuvalu’s. Cities like Dunedin have a lot to
offer me and my Tuvaluan friends. Perhaps this city and other cities like it will
become our future home. VO MILETA: But Tuvalu is where my heart is. I
always get butterflies in my tummy every time I return. I’m coming home
now for Christmas. It truly
is…………………………….
just a dot in the ocean. How can the pilot ever find it? US soldiers built our airstrip during
the second world war. Funafuti was the only island big enough for it. I know amongst all those people waiting
for their friends and relatives, will be my father. He’ll be just as excited
as I am. MUSIC VO MILETA: Oh yes I am home – Even my
father, who owns a construction business and travels this road every day, isn't
able to find a way around the potholes. The sticky tropical heat – the
gentle rhythm of the sea, the fluttering palms, the quietness of our Polynesian
village after the bustle of Dunedin all say – welcome Melita, you are
home – this is where God meant you to be. How many times more I wonder, will my
father greet me at the airport – how many times more will I be able to
walk in to my house and get such a warm greeting from my mother and my
relations and my friends – how many times more will a feast be lavished
upon me to celebrate my homecoming? All these thoughts run through my
mind - as I feel the happiness and love that
is in this home. Deep in our hearts each of us knows
that the time may soon come when celebrations like this will end. My mother has
just returned from Brisbane in Australia
where she is establishing a new home for all of our family. I have 2 brothers
and 2 sisters. They are already in other
lands and will not be home for Christmas. That is sad because we may never
share a Christmas together again in Tuvalu. Under the threat of global warming my
mother has made her mind up that our families future is not here in Tuvalu. My father is not so sure. His heart
is here – he is reluctant to go. It gives me great pleasure to serve a
meal to them. I love them so much. They don’t show it, but this is
a time of great stress for them. At last when the house is quiet I can
have time with my own thoughts. As I gaze out over the beautiful Pacific ocean I ask it over and over again –
“Is it true that you are going to drive us from our land?” MUSIC VO MILETA: Tonight she tells me about Brisbane and our new home. I tell her about my University year
and speak of my anxiety about my next year – my final year. The humid nights take a
bit of getting used to again and I seem to have so much on my mind that sleep
seems impossible. In Tuvalu
even water can not be taken for granted. Most of it has to be boiled though some of it is
undrinkable because of salt-water contamination in the sub soil. We drink imported
water or rainwater collected from
the roof. Last year we had unusually long
periods of drought. Some islands ran out of water completely. These are difficult times. KAMUTA BACKGROUND SYNC –
TUVALUAN. VO KAMUTA: Over the centuries we have constantly
lived with the threat of hurricanes trying to blow
us off our reef. It has been an uneasy and tenuous alliance. Today things are
looking even bleaker. MUSIC I/V Hilia Vavae: A very intense tropical cyclone
occurred in 1972 and later on in the 1980’s there were one or two
cyclones but in the 1990’s there were so many cyclones there were seven
altogether. As we all know that temperature is a vital factor to the formation
of tropical cyclones. So and this increase in temperature has
actually….has been reflected in the increase of tropical cyclone activity
in the 1990’s. I/V Dr Vincent Gray: There’s not a great deal of
evidence that the frequency of tropical cyclones has actually changed over the
years. They come up and down and therefore there is no particular evidence that
they are going to change or alter in their frequency in the future. I/V Jim Salinger: Tuvalu is on the edge of the tropical cyclone belt so they
traditionally might get affected by one or two in a season. With global warming
we are unsure of how the number of tropical cyclones will change but the
evidence is clearly out that the strong winds in them will get stronger. So Tuvalu
will really get battered if one of these comes over. MUSIC VO Paani Laupepa: In the last ten years this island was
vegetated with good vegetation cover and then it was hit by a
cyclone…….. I/V Paani Laupepa: and so yeah I would agree that this
is a sign of the future in terms of cyclone frequency, intensity and
ferociousness. VO MILETA: It’s not a very happy future is
it? Christmas is a very special time for us. It’s a time of worship and great joy. Every year I am
part of a youth choir that brings Christmas fellowship to those less fortunate
than us. Tuvalu has only one jail. It must be
a lonely time for the handful of inmates who are there. I don’t think I would like to be in the hospital away from my
family at this time. This poor lady is in her own house. She is too ill to be cared for at the
hospital. She is slowly going blind. I hope this is a very special moment for
her. CHURCH BELLS RINGING VO MILETA: When the Christian missionaries
arrived in the nineteenth century we welcomed them with open arms. We had always believed that a
‘creator’ had looked over us. We are told that in the late 19th
century a missionary came to Funafuti. He
asked for help to build a church on a neighbouring island. Without hesitation
and as one all the people of Funafuti left to
help him. While they were there a terrible
hurricane struck Funafuti. God had saved those
willing helpers on the island untouched by the storm. So it is easy to understand why so
many of the old people of Tuvalu
will not leave. God will protect them. But their lifetime will be over
before the predicted sea level rise will reach its peak. It is the young of Tuvalu,
me, my friends, the children. The dilemma to go or stay is ours. VO MILETA: I wonder if my father will be able to
cook the family Christmas dinner in the traditional way in Brisbane. Although he doesn’t want to,
I think that deep down he realises that he probably must. And the sooner the
better while he is still young enough to find work and start a new life in a
new country. MUSIC The distant thunder peeling its way
across the lagoon towards us is a disturbing sound. I used to welcome a storms
approach. It brought a clean sharpness to the air. It left everything fresh and
bright. It seems more frightening now. SFX MUSIC VO MILETA: Our family Christmas this year is at
my Uncles house. He gives the food his blessing and
our thanks to the lord for providing it. It is the tradition at such a
gathering that we women and children wait until the men take their food. Then it’s the children’s
turn. Then it’s our turn. There are many empty places around my
Uncle’s house this year. There are many missing. Like my sisters and
brothers they have already left our shores for good. The shadow hanging over us is- time. If global warming is going to effect
us in the many ways predicted. How much time do we have? VOICE OF PAANI LAUPEPA: It’s actually
accelerating…… I/V Paani Laupepa. In fact it’s much faster now
than previously predicted. So for us in Tuvalu it means two things – one
is the sea temperature – the IPCC Report said the sea temperature around
this part of the world where Tuvalu is has increased by 1.67 centigrade over
the last 30 years. Which is the highest in the world and
in view of the fact that Tuvaluans depending on the sea, we fish in the sea,
we eat from the sea, we earn money from the sea. The government earns about 10 to 12
million dollars every year from fishing licence and access fees. Individuals they go and fish they
catch the fish, they sell it, they earn money they send their kids to school
with that money. Any slight increase argh something like 2 % increase in the
water temperature will disrupt the whole marine Eco-system. It will kill the
plankton’s, the small fish feed on, the small fish will die and then the
bigger fish won’t eat. So this whole system, the Eco-system, the food
chain will be disrupted and if the fish die then Tuvaluan’s have nothing,
we have no money – we have no food. So it is going to bring with it
it’s own set of problems. VOICE OF DR VINCENT GRAY: In 1998…… I/V DR VINCENT GRAY: There was a unprecedented El Nino
event, now El Nino events are changes in ocean circulation’s and when
you get a El Nino event the temperatures goes up almost everywhere and then you
get after that what’s called the La Nina event when they go down. And these influence the weather in
most places in the world and influence temperature measurements and the 1998
event influenced temperatures everywhere including in the atmosphere, the atmosphere
measurements went up then and the surface measurements went up, the sea
surface measurements , as measured by satellites went up. Well now some of the
papers that have been published claiming a rise in sea surface temperature
stopped in 1998 you see. They haven’t waited a couple of years, now
admittedly it takes a while to publish papers in the scientific journals you
see. So you publish a paper that ends in 1998, which says the sea surface
temperature is going up and you know - you wait until some one has published
something from the year 2000 or 2001 and you find out that it has actually went
down again. So I’m wondering whether this claim that sea surface
temperatures have gone up – is really still true. VOICE OF PAANI LAUPEPA The other thing that came out from
that report is the sea level rise….. I/V PAANI LAUPEPA The IPCC is predicted that the sea
level rise will increase at a much faster rate now. It is no longer an issue of
whether the sea level will rise or not. The issue now is how many centimetres
will the sea level rise over the next 50 - 60 years? So for us in Tuvalu you know that’s with a
country that is just 2 metres above sea level on average. Obviously there is
not much choice. We don’t have any place –
no mountains to run to – no mountains to climb – so the effects of
sea level rise will effectively destroy our crops. VO MILETA: It’s already destroying some of
our Talo and Pulaka pits. Talo and Pulaka are a staple part of our diet. The saltwater invasion is slowly
killing our plants. Some people are trying to grow it in
pots. It will take a lot of pots to feed ten thousand people. Funafuti has one main supermarket. There is very little fresh
produce. It is shipped in from other Pacific countries. My friends Lily-Anne, Ielemia, and
Sanson, are also home from their New
Zealand University
year. We find that we really miss the choices that cities have to offer. It
seems that in Tuvalu
we are having to rely more and more on imported food these days. We are the people on the reef. The
reef is our life. It has always been this way. This is the island of Nanumaga. There is a age-old legend on the
island of “a large house under the sea”. In 1996 at 40 metres deep two
American scuba divers discovered a cave. They found the roof blackened by smoke
from fires. People had been in that cave. The last time the sea was low enough
to allow occupation of this cave was 8000 years ago. That’s at least 2000
years earlier than some think people were migrating to the South Pacific. My friends and I decided that we
would go to the site of these caves and see for ourselves. To think that 8000 years ago this was
dry land. Even though the sea is 40 metres higher now it is very significant
for us. Who were these people? I bet they lived the same way we do. They too would have gathered food
from the reef – supported their families – raised their
children and educated them in the ways of their world. How sad that it is the
way of our world that the ocean is rising again to drive us off our land. We
may have to flee just as they had to flee those rising waters so long ago. Without scuba gear we can’t
descend down past those cliffs today. And as I gaze downwards I wonder –
after the rising sea drove these people out, did they ever return? Will we be able to return in 100
years – 500 years or a thousand years? VOICE OF PROFESSOR FITZHARRIS: Sea level rise will continue even
past….. I/V PROFESSOR FITZHARRIS 2100. It just doesn’t stop
there because that’s the end of the century and in fact part of the
problem is that climate change will set in place processes which will have a
lifetime perhaps of many centuries. Sea level is one of those
particularly from the melt of the Greenland
Ice sheet and the possible long term collapse of the West Antarctic Ice sheet, now both of these have the
potential to raise sea level by 3 metres over the next one thousand years.
That’s a total of six metres in a thousand years. So for small islands
states in the Pacific in particular they are going to be doomed by these
numbers. People will not be able to go back to them in the future. VO MILETA: To go – to stay – the sea
is coming up – the sea is not coming up – the sea is getting warmer
– it is not getting warmer. We have listened to the scientists
– yet we are still uncertain. VOICE OF IELEMAI SOLOMONA I’m
confused………………………. About the global warming. I can see
it happening now days because before over here used to be all sand around. MILETA FALAVI: Yeah some of the islands which we had
before it’s no longer been seen. IELEMIA SOLOMONA: Do you think it’s like it
getting quick – like it’s happening very quick? MILETA FALAVI: It is. IELEMIA SOLOMONA: All those scientists saying that um
that those ice bergs will melt and that is why ….. sea level is rising. And yeah
…… it is happening. SANSON FOUSAGA: It is only the global warming that
predicted the rising of the sea level? VO MILETA: It is a difficult question for all
Tuvaluans. VOX POP: I don’t believe Tuvalu
is going to sink since the sea level is the same as always. VOX POP: Yes, I do believe because in those
days when I was a young girl, the tides were not that big compared to these
days. VOX POP: Yes it could be, because from what
I’ve heard from those scientists, they say it is going to happen. VOX POP: No I don’t believe that there
will be a rising of the sea level, because from what the bible says, in the
time of Noah – from the sign of the rainbow, I do not believe it is going
to happen. VOX POP: From the evidence given by the
scientists of the rising sea level – it could be true. But, from what I
believe it is not going to happen. VOX POP: Yes, Tuvalu is going to sink. VO MILETA: I have never learned to make the Fau,
our traditional garland. I used to think it wasn’t important – A
silly thing to know. How wrong I was. I will be teaching it to my children
just as my mother is teaching it to me. It is now more important than ever to
retain our Tuvaluan culture. MUSIC VO MILETA: All of our history is told in song.
Each song is called a Fatele. There is a new Fatele written and performed for
everything or event that happens. Tuvaluan music is unlike any other in
the South Pacific. It is a tradition that we are fiercely proud of. How will we hang onto centuries of
tradition and culture if we are scattered to the four corners of the globe? I am so embarrassed when I dance. I
always wish that I was better. I think all of these men are just being polite. The spraying of perfumed water onto
the performers is our way of showing appreciation for the performance. Ielemia is my boyfriend. He also goes
to a University in New
Zealand. We don’t meet very often for
we are not supposed to meet at all. Our parents do not approve. Here in Tuvalu
though we can never truly be alone. Young women are chaperoned until they
become engaged. Often a marriage is arranged by parents. We have had a British style of
government ever since we became a part of the old British
Empire. Since getting our independence back in 1978. We have had six Prime
Minister’s a new one Faimalaga Luka is being sworn in. He has a huge task
ahead of him to lead our country through this global warming crisis. VOICE OF FAEMALAGA LUKA: At all times and when required to do
so freely in my counsel and the advice for the good management of the affairs
of Tuvalu. MUSIC VOICE OF PAANI LAUPEPA: You see the government’s role
is to disseminate……….. I/V PAANI LAUPEPA: ……full information for
the people and it is our duty in the Ministry responsible for environment
matters to advise the people what is happening, what is happening now and what
is most likely to happen in the future and the implications. And argh and for
government, government has a role to play in the sense it has to prepare for
eventually resettlement. We have to be pragmatic about the whole thing. The
reality is we have to move some where and it is in my view governments role to prepare
for that eventuality. But on the migration itself that has to be an individual decision. I think government’s role is to
prepare everything, to tell you, to tell people what is happening and what will
happen in the future and prepare a alternative for people to go to. Government
can not force you to move. You have to make your own decision. VOX POP: If that is true, I am going to leave
the country then – I choose New Zealand as a place to go. VOX POP: Yes, I could leave the country if the
government has provided us with lands to live on in other countries. VOX POP: No I am not going to leave the
country, since I grew up here. So I am going to stay back until the time I can
no longer sight the lands. VOX POP: Yes I will leave Tuvalu and go some where and I
believe that all Tuvaluans will also have to leave the country. VOX POP: From what I believe, I don’t
think I would leave Tuvalu. VOX POP: From what I’ve seen now, since Tuvalu
is going to sink, I’ve already made plans with my family to leave the
country in the near future and find a place that is safe. VO MILETA: Our leaders have great strength and
wisdom to help our nation survive for thousands of years. Today in the face of
this global warming threat they have again shown that we are fighters –
we are survivors. The letters TV are the top-level
internet domain symbol for Tuvalu.
The government has sold the rights to use this symbol. Dot TV is the fastest growing
internet domain in the world. It will earn Tuvalu a minimum of 50 million US
dollars over the next decade. It’s a lot of
money. Can it pay for our future? Can we buy land in other countries for
resettlement? Can we use it to fight global warming. The answer from our government is
‘yes’. They are already discussing these issues. But to us there
seems to be more questions than answers. We are told that industrial pollution
is largely responsible for hastening global warming. That ever since man
invented the fossil fuelled machine the air around us is being poisoned
continually. And there are wise men in large countries meeting continuously and
debating and arguing – trying to agree how to stop these gases from doing
any more damage. VOICE OF PROFESSOR FITZHARRIS: I/V PROFESSOR FITZHARRIS that the
global community has of trying to limit the emission of green house gas
emissions into the atmosphere and perhaps limit this future climate change and
sea level rise. But many countries are not keen to sign the Kyoto Protocol and are dragging the chain so
to speak. And that’s probably – not unexpected. We have to expect
along period of debate, maybe for a decade or more before as a global community
we can come to terms with this. I/V Dr Vincent Gray. Now the Kyoto Protocol is something of a fraud. If
all of the nations of the world were to ratify this protocol and that is most
unlikely. But if they were to do so it would not be possible to determine
whether it has had any effect on carbon dioxide. Because the amounts are so
small that nobody could measure it. In other words it would have a negligible
effect. I/V PROFESSOR FITZHARRIS: What we are doing is talking about
our use of energy. Our use of automobiles, agriculture these are fundamentals
for feeding the world, for carrying out commerce argh and we can’t easily
give these things up. We need to find an alternative technology and that is
going to take time. I/V PAANI LAUPEPA: But on the other hand, on the other
end of the scale, you have vulnerable countries. People like Tuvaluans,
Kiribati, Marshalese, Caribbean’s, you know. On the other end of the
scale you have these people who are just
living a couple of metres above sea level. It is not a matter of economic
necessity, economic development, economic restructuring – it is a matter
of survival for us. SFX LIGHTNING MUSIC VO MILETA: Tuvalu has only one hospital. I work here every time I come home.
It is where I will be working full time soon as Tuvalu’s first
Pharmacologist. It is here that I mostly see young mothers and their children. What
can we tell these young children about global warming. MUSIC SINGING. VO MILETA: How prepared are they for the end of
their nation? MUSIC VO MILETA: A global warming poster competition
at this school gave these children an opportunity to express their view of our
future. They seem to have got it fairly right. But do they truly know its
consequences. Will they be citizens of New Zealand – Australia – of other lands.
They are the future of our nation. Is our nation though their future? Most of us go to High School on the island of Vaitupu. Those from other islands board
at the school. In March 2000 18 girls and a woman
were burned to death in a terrible fire. They were locked in for the night in
their girl’s dormitory that once stood here. They were trapped when the fire
struck. The woman was trying to rescue them. There is no family in Tuvalu
untouched by the tragedy. My friends and I are no exception.
When we visited their mass grave to pay our respects we found ourselves part of
a memorial service for them. How can we leave behind their bodies
and their spirits? Who will look after them? MUSIC VO MILETA: Who will look after the spirits of
all of our ancestors? MUSIC VO MILETA: Already the king tides are invading
their resting-place. As we sail away from Vaitupu our
hearts are heavy. And we begin to think about what we will miss about this land
– our land. PTC IELEMIA SOLOMONA: What I will miss most is like the
friendly people of Tuvalu.
The grinish atmosphere. It is so peaceful and so natural that I will be
missing. PTC LILY-ANNE FATALIA HOMASI: Say we are going to be going to New
Zealand and the Tuvaluan’s – will be sending their – I hope
that all of the Tuvaluans going there will be able to maintain the culture and
yeah be able to communicate to each other in our own language – yeah. PTC SANSON FOUSAGA: The name Tuvalu – but I can’t
forget it. Can’t forget Tuvalu
– It’s during me and I will be teaching it to my children. VO MELITA: In the year 2000 Tuvalu became the 189th
member of the United Nations. I/V ENELE SOPOAGA: It would be one of the major roles of
the Ambassador there to ensure the interests of Tuvalu are properly addressed. I
will be using that as the main basis of my work there. To promote Tuvalu’s concerns and interests regarding
the issues of climate change and the impact on Tuvalu. VO KAMUTA: When I was Prime Minister of this land
I tried through my best endeavours to make the world aware of our plight
– to see the reality of climate change. But I fear it is already too
late. Too late for us Tuvaluans who have contributed absolutely nothing to this
global warming. There is the tragedy. I/V PAANI LAUPEPA: The sad fact about this is we are
suffering from the consequences of the actions of people living in
industrialised nations like people in the US and other industrialised
countries. And they are not realising that their actions, their live styles,
their patterns of economic development are causing problems in other parts of
the world. And that is why we are very concerned
because we believe that according to the user pays principal. You use –
you pay. You pollute – the polluter pay principal. You pollute you pay.
So we believe that if industrialised countries are polluting the atmosphere, if
industrialised countries are causing all this global warming. Then we believe
that they should be paying for the clean up costs – the adaptations and
the mitigation’s. And also it is their obligation they are obliged to
ratify the Kyoto
protocol as early as possible. I/V JIM SALINGER: The worst case scenario for Tuvalu
is that we see tropical cyclones, stronger winds, we see a hotter, wetter
climate, we see sea level rise of half a metre, a place that is going to become
virtually uninhabitable. SYNC - WAVES VO MILETA: I have to return soon to University in
Dunedin and tonight my mother and father have
just told me that my father has now made up his mind to leave Tuvalu forever and move to our new home in Brisbane. He will try to lease our house
– for who will buy a house in Tuvalu? The mood around our table is light.
It’s a celebration of sorts. Even though we will be in a new land all of
our family will be together. MUSIC VO MILETA: The stress and anguish my family has
suffered in finally deciding to leave Tuvalu is the same for all
Tuvaluans. But what of me? I have to return for
7 years to fulfil my government contract. I will have no family to live with. I
will be on my own. Then what do I do? Do I stay or do I go. Maybe
by then I will truly know the answer – we all will truly know the answer. Oh, my Tuvalu are you really going to be
the first nation on earth to disappear off the face of it. CREDITS
The King tides that Paani was talking about are higher now than I have ever
seen. They threaten to sweep us from our homes. Our poor livestock sometimes
spend hours in water up to their bellies. Houses are often marooned. And it is
only the children who enjoy a temporary backyard swimming hole.
How can we survive such an invasion?
Ever since I was a little girl my mother has always come into my room in the
evenings to lie on my bed with me and we talk.
The Kyoto
Protocol is the main mechanism………….