
A Remote Pacific Nation, Threatened by Rising Seas - MrJagil
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/03/world/asia/climate-change-kiribati.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront
======
noobermin
I am a Pacific islander in the US. While I mostly am "American" in my
personality and values, the rest of my family lives on an island not too far
from Kiribati. The thing is for any group of people, it's hard to really think
with a full heart (that is, will full sympathy) for people outside our eye
reach. Moreover, it doesn't help that these are tiny populations. The article
says these are thousands of people. The people in my island, Palau number
around 16,000. It is problematic, however, that climate change will be
effected by nations who will not see direct consequences, at least not early
on, so the hope that out of their own self interest or otherwise act to stem
the change unlikely.

------
more_corn
“We are Christians,” she said. “So we don’t believe that God could have given
us this world and then take it away.”

Scientists: We're here to warn you about the flood. Locals: No thanks, god
will provide. International aid workers: We're here to save you from the
flood. Locals: No thanks, god will provide. Rescue workers: Quick, get in,
it's your last chance! Locals: No thanks, god will provide. Drowning Locals:
God! why have you forsaken us? God: I tried to save you three times. What more
do you want?

------
niftich
Interesting times ahead. The purchase of the tract in Fiji is an ordinary land
deal and does not imply a transfer of sovereignty. If the population of the
Republic of Kiribati eventually relocates to this tract, what will be their
legal status in Fiji? Citizens of Fiji, or refugees?

If the islands of Kiribati are underwater, other governments may come to
challenge their claim to vast amounts of the Pacific [1]

[1] Maritime boundaries and claims:
[https://imgur.com/KbGj1mC](https://imgur.com/KbGj1mC)

~~~
coredog64
My solution would be for the US to purchase Kiribati and relocate the citizens
to the Texas coast.

The EEZ would then be turned into a conversation zone. The USN would use it as
an MOA to keep out the tuna fleets.

Once Kiribati is under water, those EEZs would turn into international waters.
It has been a few years, but IIRC there isn't much impingement of other
nations' EEZs on that of Kiribati.

------
MrJagil
Here's the google maps link:
[https://www.google.dk/maps?q=Kiribati&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ved...](https://www.google.dk/maps?q=Kiribati&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjYiY2wgd3NAhXKAJoKHSafA_oQ_AUICSgC)

Nearby is Jarvis Island, with the sorry story of Squire Flockton that I was
drawn to for some reason: [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-
bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=470596...](http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-
bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=47059637)

------
ktRolster
Cool thing about the Kiribati language, the 'ti' makes an 's' sound. So if
someone is named "Sam", in Kiribati you would spell his name "Tiam."

~~~
knodi123
unless written kiribati was natively developed to use the english alphabet, it
seems like someone just did a really crap job of romanizing their language.

~~~
guard-of-terra
Not necessarily. Maybe this is less than optimal for loanwords, but why have
consonants in your alphabet that you never use? Might also have grammatical
meaning (e.g. t staying t in every form of a word)

For example, in Russian pronunciation, you might definitely confuse 'ti' for
'si'. If Russian wouldn't have the real 's' consonant (or 'ц'), it would make
sense to transliterate 's' as 'ti'.

~~~
knodi123
I don't understand. If the people of kiribati (pronounced KEE-ree-bas) have an
S sound, then it makes sense to romanize their language so that words endings
with an S sound end with an S letter... If they have a "ti" sound as well,
then by all means keep the T and the I, or even glyph them together...

But english is (more or less) a phonetic language. If you're romanizing a
foreign language, and it doesn't come out more or less phonetic, then.... try
again. It doesn't _cost_ anything to keep an "s" in the prospective alphabet.

~~~
emmelaich
I agree with you mostly but ... shrug. If we went with that then the Q in
Chinese wouldn't be pronounced 'ch' (or something very close to that)

A not entirely irrelevant fact about "Kiribati" is that is the same word as
Gilberts -- as in Gilberts Islands.

------
aembleton
I can recommend 'The Sex Lives of Cannibals' if you'd like to know more about
Kiribati: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-Lives-Cannibals-Equatorial-
Paci...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-Lives-Cannibals-Equatorial-
Pacific/dp/0767915305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467760541&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sex+lives+of+cannibals)

------
aaron695
This is nothing compared to the people who die from lack of access to cheap
energy, each year, right now.

It's interesting in 30+ years that island's might disappear.

But I'd be surprised if it isn't solvable with 30+ year tech. (It's solvable
with current tech, just expensive)

~~~
noobermin
>This is nothing compared to the people who die from lack of access to cheap
energy, each year, right now.

60%[0] of greenhouse emissions don't come from the worst of developing
countries, so I doubt that many are in those countries are "dying" from a lack
of access to cheap energy. 6000 people is a small number. You do risk losing a
culture and people, but is the convenience of billions worth the culture of
few thousand? I suppose that is a judgement call.

Regardless, it's not like climate change won't affect the billions, it will.
It's more like the islanders here will be the first victims.

[0] Added up the numbers from the top ten emitters for greenhouse gases.
Brazil and Indonesia are included in this list for their aggressive burning of
forest for farmland. Indonesia and Brazil aren't quite "old world" countries,
but I doubt access to petrol is the least of their problems.

[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/21/countrie...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/21/countries-
responsible-climate-change)

------
oinksoft
Tuvalu is in similar straits.

~~~
vacri
... I can't tell if that's a pun or not. Well played!

~~~
oinksoft
Not a pun, just what this immediately reminded me of :) I've always found it
astonishing that people would live on an island with such a low maximum
elevation.

