Here is a video in 2010 where the humble President of Kiribati talks about their helplessness in dealing with rising seas.
In 2015 a family tried to be the world's first officially recognised climate change refugees. Ioane Teitiota his wife and three children tried to apply for asylum from the Government of New Zealand in 2011 arguing that their island nation was unsafe especially for the future of his children due to rising sea levels. "Going back to Kiribati there is no life, no hope. We are sending back the children to a place that is not safe for them," said his pastor supporting Mr. Teitiota with his climate change argument for asylum.
Unfortunately the New Zealand courts denied the application Mr. Teitiota and his family and ordered their deportation. Earlier in 2015 the New Zealand Supreme Court acknowledged that Kiribati is facing climate change problems but New Zealand's law, for that matter the laws of other countries, do not recognise climate change as a legitimate reason for the application of refugee status.
There are 100,000 people in Kiribati. They want to stay put in their island paradise and their main source of hope is their belief in Christianity. According to them God promised Noah that the world will never flood over again after the great floods. Nevertheless as their President points out they still have to be prepare with alternative plans but as Mr. Teitiota can testify moving out as climate change refugees will be an uphill battle. There are no cheap or easy solutions to settling tens of thousands of people across the world. One of the proposal from President Anote Tong in his most recent address is to build floating platforms like petroleum rigs for his people. That would cost a whooping 2 billion dollars.
In 2015 a family tried to be the world's first officially recognised climate change refugees. Ioane Teitiota his wife and three children tried to apply for asylum from the Government of New Zealand in 2011 arguing that their island nation was unsafe especially for the future of his children due to rising sea levels. "Going back to Kiribati there is no life, no hope. We are sending back the children to a place that is not safe for them," said his pastor supporting Mr. Teitiota with his climate change argument for asylum.
Unfortunately the New Zealand courts denied the application Mr. Teitiota and his family and ordered their deportation. Earlier in 2015 the New Zealand Supreme Court acknowledged that Kiribati is facing climate change problems but New Zealand's law, for that matter the laws of other countries, do not recognise climate change as a legitimate reason for the application of refugee status.
There are 100,000 people in Kiribati. They want to stay put in their island paradise and their main source of hope is their belief in Christianity. According to them God promised Noah that the world will never flood over again after the great floods. Nevertheless as their President points out they still have to be prepare with alternative plans but as Mr. Teitiota can testify moving out as climate change refugees will be an uphill battle. There are no cheap or easy solutions to settling tens of thousands of people across the world. One of the proposal from President Anote Tong in his most recent address is to build floating platforms like petroleum rigs for his people. That would cost a whooping 2 billion dollars.
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