What impact does climate change have on Kiribati?
The impacts of climate change on Kiribati’s freshwater supplies, coastal infrastructure, agricultural land, reefs and fisheries are projected to increase over time, particularly in South Tarawa. Many homes in South Tarawa already experience regular flooding during king tides and storm surges.
Why Kiribati is being affected by environmental factors?
The Major Environmental Issues in Kiribati. Population Pressure in urban centres (Betio and Urban Tarawa ). Coastal erosion due to climate change and sea-level rise. Pollution by waste oil and other chemicals. Land pollution from poor management of solid waste.
What is the main threat posed to Kiribati by climate change?
Global warming threatens to render Kiribati unlivable well before it is completely submerged. If our heat-trapping emissions continue at today’s rates, rising ocean waters may shrink Kiribati’s land area, increase storm damage, and threaten its freshwater reserves.
How serious is the climate induced threat to Kiribati?
CLIMATE RISK COUNTRY PROFILE: KIRIBATI Warming is likely to take place at a rate slightly lower than the global average. On the highest emissions pathway (RCP8. 5), warming of approximately 3°C is projected by the end of the century.
What causes drought in Kiribati?
Kiribati’s traditional dry season, or Aumaiaki, occurs between April and September, with the rainy season, or Aumeang, from October to March. However, due to changes in climate, the country has been experiencing extreme drought-like conditions even during the traditional rainy season.
How long until Kiribati is underwater?
For Kiribati—a Pacific archipelago whose average elevation is less than 2 metres above the sea— large parts of the country could be underwater by 2050.
What are some problems in Kiribati?
Hardship for people in Kiribati is closely linked to limited economic oppor- tunities, poor access to basic services and infrastructure, and increasing social problems (such as alcoholism and resulting domestic violence), rather than hunger or destitution.
How does sea-level rise affect Kiribati?
Rising sea level in Kiribati is expected to put populations at increased risk of storm surges and coastal flooding (page 3). In Kiribati, climate change could increase the risk of vector- and water-borne diseases and threaten food safety and security (pages 4, 5).
How will rising sea levels affect Kiribati?
As water levels rise, towns in Kiribati are flooding and the island itself may be also soon be consumed by water. The streets of Kiribati are filling with water more and more often from the rising tides and an increase in storms. Citizens are frequently being displaced as their homes and businesses are being destroyed.
How is Kiribati fighting climate change?
To reduce its carbon emissions, Kiribati has instigated the Kiribati Integrated Environmental Policy in 2012, the KIRIBATI JOINT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT in 2014, and signed the Paris Accord in 2016.