Thesis (M.D.S.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

The development of some ability for forecasting low rainfalls would be helpful in Tuvalu as rainwater is the only source of fresh water in the country. The subsurface water is brackish and saline so the entire country depends totally on rainwater for daily domestic supplies, agricultural and farming activities. More importantly, these atolls are often influenced by droughts which consequently make inadequate drinking water an issue. A simple graph-based forecasting scheme is developed and presented in this thesis for forecasting below average mean rainfall in Funafuti over the next n-month period. The approach uses precursor ocean surface temperature data to make predictions of below average rainfall for n = 1, 2 12. The simplicity of the approach makes it a suitable method for the country and thus for the Tuvalu Meteorological Service to use as an operational forecasting tool in the climate forecasting desk. The graphical method was derived from standardised monthly rainfalls from the Funafuti manual raingauge for the period January 1945 to July 2007. The method uses lag-1 and-lag 2 NINO4 sea surface temperatures to define whether prediction conditions hold. The persistence of predictability tends to be maintained when the observed NINO4 ocean surface temperatures fall below 26.0oC. Although the developed method has a high success probability of up to 80 percent, this can only be achieved when conditions are within the predictable field. A considerable number of below average rainfall periods are not within the predictable field and therefore cannot be forecast by this method. However, the graphical approach has particular value in warning when an existing drought is likely to continue.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1983 / Pacific Islands Studies

This thesis aimed to investigate how a rising sea level would affect the livable area of the island Fongafale, Tuvalu. Through the IPCC stabilization scenarios it was examined which areas of the island that would be affected by flooding. The local population’s perceptions of the effects of climate change were studied to see how the consequences of a world-wide problem such as global warming affect people's lives. The paper clarified the Tuvaluans place in the discussion of climate refugees, explained IPCC's work and described the results of previous studies concerning people in Fongafales perceptions and concerns about climate-related changes. The result shows already flooded areas with important buildings, such as airport and government buildings and that with a rising sea level, an increasing part of the island will suffer. The survey shows a stronger tendency to concern for lack of water and work than for a climate-related sea level rise, and that the main reason for a possible emigration would primarily be work-related.

Despite extensive research on the effects of climate change on the displacement of populations, there is a lack of clarity in how environmentally displaced people should be conceptualized. As yet, there is no legal international definition agreed upon. There is however a broad debate on conceptualization, scholars whom argue that these people can be defined as environmental refugee whereas other scholars criticize the definition of a direct link between environment and displacement. This research explores this debate through a comparative case study that examines the implications of climate related displacement for two countries: (i) Bangladesh and (ii) Tuvalu. The case draws on the theoretical debate around displacement, together with a theoretically derived model of environmental displacement.   The findings consider how climate change will affect Bangladesh and Tuvalu and focuses on the countries’ national efforts to respond - efforts that call out for the international community to help and take responsibility. An analysis of the conceptualization of environmentally displaced people shows the difficulty of defining this status, due to the lack of an established international definition. In particular it means a lack in knowing who has the responsibility to protect these people now, and in the future. In a world where climate change will continue to affect both people and nature it is of importance to clarify these areas. By contributing to the topic of climate related displacement this study therefore brings forward the importance of the need for conceptualizing environmentally displaced people to give them the protection needed.

How many inhabitans do have your city? Tuvalu has 12.000 and that´s not a city. It´s a country. Nine islands in south Pacific nearly date line. On first sight You may say, it´s a paradise. Air has always about 30°, sand is white, sky is blue and the sea is full of fish. On shore grows coconuts and on the sea-floor grows beautiful corals. But second lowest country in the Word cannot be a paradise. The land is missing in huge Pacific. Inhabitans don´t have money neither for build another Venice nor dubai´s palm. Global warming a sea level rise is dangerous for milions people of our planet. Maldives, Banghlades, Holland, south of USA… Many of you can have a question: „Why then Tuvalu?“ Few tausends people can move to Australia and finish. And Maldives have worse position, land has less meters over sea level, people is more… ten times. But 12.000… it´s so enough – for specimen. It´s enough people to get for them money and spend it for saving thein land, for trying some science theories. If cannot save these 12.000, you cannot save the others. They have many renewable resourcies: the wind is blowing, the sun is shining, the water is flowing. In this time they are maybe not energy-independent, but they plan to be in 2020. Energy is that wonderfull power, which can save them. Did you know, that if you set low electric energy going in iron element under sea level (which cannot harm sea life and people), at the surface is formed a layer of sediments called „biorock“?- rock, which can you use for building. The project will save only one atoll: Funafuti. It´s enough large for all contemporary and future inhabitans to living. Project is planned to year 2200 and calculated for 24.000 inhabitans. Untilll then sea level rise will grow about one meter above. On atoll Funafuti will rise eight villages with max. 3.000 inhabitans. Every village will have by average equipment (grocery, school, doctor, church) advanced nation-wide important functions (airport, hospital, parliament, university..). On biorock layer stored up in the sea by atoll Funafuti will rise shelf, where people can build stilt houses, how they did houndreds years before European arrival. Or they can live in houseboats. Between houses they wil build jetty road for light engine vehicles and bridge-like paths for pedestrians. They will meet on squares and over their heads will bloom tropical plant in colourfull steeltubes made for it. On the dry land, which is very small, will grow coconut and pandanus. This land will be under heritage, park for everyone to come end enjoy. Part of this project is a floating church. Its building represents all ideas, that Project Tuvalu has: building on water, energy-independent, offer an shelter, shade and place for meeting of people. White facade made from textile membrane reminds white sails of ships, that crossed oceans before 200 years. With these ships came Chrisitanity, that is deeply rooted in this land. Bamboo construction with steel cables will reminds to people Crown of Thorns and martyrium of Christ, but also average problem hat must people meet in their lives. This project is pure utopic and doesn´t have ambition to get real. Its aim is to make visible problem of global warming in this sight and create a discussion: what next?

Depuis la prise en compte croissante du changement climatique, denombreux commentateurs ont commencé à raconter une histoire : celle des petitsÉtats insulaires du Pacifique sud, entièrement constitués d’atolls, qui risquent dedisparaître en raison de l’élévation du niveau marin. Nous considérons que cettehistoire est un « récit d’action publique » destiné à attirer l’attention et à convaincreles décideurs politiques d’agir pour empêcher la réalisation du problème ou luitrouver une solution. Ces « récits de la disparition » présentent deux particularités :ils ne sont associés à aucune politique publique déjà mise en oeuvre et ils sontmobilisés par des acteurs variés issus des milieux politiques et de la société civile.À partir de la littérature sur l’analyse cognitive des politiques publiques et plusparticulièrement l’analyse des récits de politiques publiques, cette thèse se proposed’étudier la production, la diffusion et les cadrages de ces récits de la disparition àl’aide de méthodes mixtes associant une démarche qualitative d’enquête avec laréalisation d’une analyse statistique textuelle. / In the last 40 years, climate change has been increasingly taken intoaccount. Various observers have started to tell a story: the story of small Pacific atollisland states that might disappear beneath the rising seas. The argument developedin this thesis is that this story is a "public action narative" which aims at drawingattention towards those states and at inciting policy makers to prevent the risk or tofind a solution. Those "sinking island States narratives" display two particularcharacteristics: they are not linked to an existing policy and they are used by variousactors from the political sphere and the civil society.Building on the policy narratives literature, this thesis aims at analysing theproduction, the dissemination and the framing of the sinking island states narratives.It is based on mixed methods and combines a qualitative framework and a statisticalanalysis of textual data.

The effects of anthropogenic climate change are becoming more and more visible as being highlighted by scientists, politicians and media. The causes of droughts, floods, melting ice caps and rising sea levels can all partially be traced back to human activities. In this study, I examine where the future climate refugees of Kiribati, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands should go when inhabitants of these low lying island nations are forced to leave their disappearing territories due to sea level rise. By using a normative method of analysis i egentlig mening, arguments deriving from certain values will be presented to confront the problem. These values originate from Edward A. Page’s theories concerning justice in sharing the burdens of climate change. Combined with a complementary utilitaristic value, the conclusion is that Australia is most suitable to host future climate refugees of these particular island nations, while the justice based values alone concludes the US as its preferred choice. In parallel, normative political theory will be evaluated regarding its functionality in the subject of global climate questions. Hence this study contains two purposes; to argue where the islanders should go, and whether a normative methodology is suitable when solving such a problem.

No description available.

International migration and development have been traditionally treated as separate policy portfolios; however, today the two are increasingly viewed as interlinked. While the development status of a country could determine migration flows, migration can, in turn, contribute positively to national development, including economic, social and cultural progress. Consequently, if migration is not well managed, it can pose development challenges to a country’s development and progress. Therefore, partnership through greater networking between countries of origin and destination is needed to fully utilise the development potential of migration. For Tuvalu, migration has remained a vital ingredient for economic development and more importantly, the welfare of its people. The implementation of New Zealand’s Pacific Access Category (PAC) scheme in 2002 offered for the first time a formal migration opportunity for permanent or long-term migration of Tuvaluans. The PAC scheme allows 75 Tuvaluans per year to apply for permanent residence to work and live in New Zealand, provided they meet the scheme’s conditions. The goal of this research is to investigate, more than five years after PAC’s implementation, the ways in which long-term migration of Tuvaluans, through the PAC scheme, has benefited Tuvalu. To give a broader perspective on the issues explored in this study, the views of Tuvaluan leaders, as significant players in traditional Tuvaluan society, are included, in addition to the perspective of migrants’ families in Tuvalu and the migrants themselves in New Zealand. Combining transnationalist and developmental approaches as a theoretical framework, this thesis explores how Tuvalu’s mobile and immobile populations, through articulation of transnationalism, enhance family welfare, and grassroots and national development. The eight weeks’ fieldwork in Tuvalu and Auckland demonstrated that the physical separation of Tuvaluans from one another through migration does not limit the richness of the interactions and connections between them. In fact, the existence of active networking between island community groups and other Tuvaluan associations in Auckland and in Tuvalu strengthens the Tuvaluan culture both abroad and at home, thus ensuring strong family and community coherence. Maintaining transnational networks and practices is identified as of great significance to grassroots and community-based development in Tuvalu. However, the benefits of long-term migration can only be sustained as long as island loyalty, or loto fenua, and family kinship stays intact across borders, and networking amongst families, communities and church remains active.