Because of the fear of flooding: the island state of Tuvalu wants to live digitally

The island state of Tuvalu is existentially threatened by rising sea levels. Now the state has re-established itself on the internet as the “first digital nation”.

“Islands like this will not survive rapid warming, rising sea levels and drought, so we are creating them virtually,” Tuvalu’s foreign minister Simon Kofe said in a video his ministry shared on Twitter during the ongoing climate conference. in Egypt.

In the video, Kofe can be seen on a virtual island on a palm beach, with virtual birds flying in the sky. After his speech, the camera zooms out and shows the small island in an otherwise black virtual space.

memories of their home

Pacific Islands are particularly affected by climate change. Located between Australia and Hawaii, the archipelago of Tuvalu, with its nine coral atolls, has long been threatened by rising sea levels.

It could be largely submerged in the coming decades. About 12,000 people live in Tuvalu.

To preserve Tuvalu’s land and culture, “we’re moving them to the cloud regardless of what’s happening in the physical world,” Kofe said.

“Little by little, we will preserve our land, comfort our people, and remind our children and grandchildren of what our homes once were.” Perhaps the rest of the world would soon join Tuvalu on the Internet, Kofe said. (sda/dpa)