Kiribati

• located in an island nation in the central pacific ocean , straddles the equator
• country consists of 32 atolls
• poorest country in the world (134/189) globally
• kiribati is a highly religious place , many don't understand science behind climate change
• the climate is hot , tropical , humid , marine
• life expectancy :

  • men: 59
  • women : 63
• HDI score is 0.63
• economy :

  • poor
  • few natural resources
  • most work in farming - e.g seawood , fish , copra
• GNI per capita : $2,010
• kiribat is an archipelago (group of islands)
• it is north-east of Australia and New Zealand
• population : 128,000 live there
• capital city is Tarawa
• more than half of the islands population live in Tarawa
• president of kiribati - Atone Tong
• threats to Kiribati:

  • sea level rise
  • coastal erosion
  • salt water from sea
  • climate change
  • floods
• kiribati is at risk from diseases such as malaria and the zika virus
• secondary impacts of sea level rise:

  • no harvests
  • negative multiplier effect
  • food more scarce
• short term adaptions:

  • sea walls
  • rock armour
  • mangrooves
  • sandbags
  • oil barrels
• eustatic sea level change on the rise
• community based organising has planted 37,000 mangroves along the shore
• mangroves are halophyte plants , thick roots and branches help break waves and dissipate their energy before it reaches shore
• cons of mangroves:

  • takes long time to implement
  • takes years to grow
• long term adaptations:

  • agricultural research - researching crop fertility and developing and identifying crops that grow in salt water
• halophytes - plants that are tolerant to salt water
• planting mangroves is apart of the Kiribati adaption program
• 'farming for the future project:

  • educate farmers on growing salt tolerant and drought resistant crops
  • increases crop fertility
  • Kiribati will have less dependence on imported food
• Atone Tong purchased land from Fiji for agricultural and fish farming to guarantee nations food secruity
• Tong purchased 20km squared from Fiji
• Fiji may be a spot for relocation in the future
• Fiji is 2000 miles away, people will need transport to farm or relocate there , many won't be able to afford that due to low GNI
• 56% of the island is catholic
• people in Kiribati believe God gave them the land and that it will not be taken from them
• pros of farming for the future project:

  • better food security
  • make it easier to grow and harvest crops as rising sea levels can infiltrate crops and make them too saline for cultivation
• how much have sea levels risen by per year 1993?

  2.8 - 3.6 mm a year
• why do sea levels fluctuate every year?

  due to El Nino
• impacts of King tides

  they can wash over entire islands and contaminate water for days

  • high infant mortality rate : 43 per 1000
• which 2 islands have been washed away due to coastal erosion?

  Abanuea and Tebua Tarawa
• max temperatures have increased by what?

  0.58 degrees
• which crop is highly sensitive to rainfall?

  copra