Image: A beach in Tuvalu, reinforced with concrete blocks.
By Daphne Rasehei – Emtv Online
Taukelima Finikaso, the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the island state of Tuvalu, says the issues of fiscal burdens for climate change is beyond their reach.
Tuvalu had a bid for a US$100 million flood protection scheme, which was rejected, and was instead granted US$30 million to build banks to protect its inhabitants from rising sea levels.
“We will build the banks, but only where there are houses. This means the rest of our islands are under threat,” said Finikaso.
“The Tuvalu Islands, the Marshall Islands and the Maldives are clearly all vulnerable. But at the moment they do not receive any climate finance. Unlike Jamaica or Senegal,” he added.
The leaders are asking for a way to accelerate the process, as the waves are not waiting for the funding.
Accessing finance through a complex array of multilateral and bilateral mechanisms poses major challenges for Pacific countries.
Though under duress the Tuvaluan’s have maintained their life linked to the sea. A change in sea level is therefore not an abstract risk but a challenging task to everyday life of Tuvaluans.
