99-427: The heart of any Kiribati community is its maneaba or meeting house. The maneaba is not just the biggest building in any village, it is the centre of village life and the basis of island and national governance. A traditional maneaba is an imposing structure, with slabs of coral supporting a huge roof formed from coconut wood, held together with coconut string and thatched with pandanus leaves. The whole community
198-630: A British protectorate , along with the nearby Ellice Islands . They were administered by a resident commissioner based first on Makin Islands (1893–95), then in Betio , Tarawa (1896–1908) and Ocean Island (1908–1942), protectorate who was under the Western Pacific High Commission (WPHC) based in Fiji. Banaba , known to Europeans as Ocean Island, was added to the protectorate in 1900, because of
297-452: A US Embassy . The current U.S. Embassy responsible for Kiribati is located in Suva, Fiji . In November 1999, Kiribati agreed to allow Japan's National Space Development Agency to lease land on Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island) for 20 years, on which to build a spaceport . The agreement stipulated that Japan was to pay US$ 840,000 per year and would also pay for any damage to roads and
396-435: A parliamentary democratic republic. The executive branch consists of a president ( te Beretitenti ), a vice-president and a cabinet . The president, who is also chief of the cabinet, is directly elected by the citizens, after the legislature nominates three or four persons from among its members to be candidates in the ensuing presidential election. The president is limited to serving three four-year terms, and remains
495-685: A 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati ( ratified in 1983 ). Although the indigenous Gilbertese name for the Gilbert Islands proper is "Tungaru", the new state chose the name "Kiribati", the Gilbertese spelling of "Gilberts", because it was more modern and as an equivalent of the former colony to acknowledge the inclusion of Banaba, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands . The last two archipelagoes were never initially occupied by Gilbertese until
594-479: A component of their foreign policy and international alliances. The Alliance of Small Island States (ASIS) has been a strong negotiating group in the UNFCCC , highlighting that although they are negligible contributors to anthropogenic climate change, they are among the most vulnerable to its impacts. The 43 members of the alliance have held the position of limiting global warming to 1.5°C , and advocated for this at
693-487: A comprehensive, legally binding agreement. As of March 2022, the Asian Development Bank has committed $ 3.62 billion to help small island developing states with climate change, transport, energy, and health projects. East Timor , or Timor-Leste, faces numerous challenges as a result of climate change and increased global temperatures. As an island country, rising sea levels threaten its coastal areas, including
792-488: A cost of 9.3 million Australian dollars. In March 2016, Taneti Maamau was elected as the new President of Kiribati. He was the fifth president since the country became independent in 1979. In June 2020, President Maamau won re-election for a second four-year term. President Maamau was considered pro-China and he supported closer ties with Beijing. On 16 November 2021, the Kiribati government announced it would expose
891-458: A detrimental effect on public health. In island nations, changes in sea levels, temperature, and humidity may increase the prevalence of mosquitoes and diseases carried by them such as malaria and Zika virus . Rising sea levels and severe weather such as flooding and droughts may render agricultural land unusable and contaminate freshwater drinking supplies. Flooding and rising sea levels also directly threaten populations, and in some cases may be
990-527: A factor, with acquisition of land being the main form of conquest. Clans and chiefs began fighting over resources, fueled by hatred and reignited blood feuds, which may have started months, years, or even decades before. The turmoil lasted well into the European visitation and colonial era, which led to certain islands decimating their foes with the help of guns and cannon-equipped ships that Europeans provided to some I-Kiribati leaders. The typical military arms of
1089-584: A group of 38 United Nations (UN) Member States and 20 Non-UN Member/Associate Members that are located in three regions: the Caribbean; the Pacific; and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Seas (AIMS) and are home to approximately 65 million people. These nations are far from homogeneous but they do share numerous features, including narrow resource bases, dominance of economic sectors that are reliant on
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#17330852563681188-420: A group of seafaring people from Melanesia , who were described as being dark-skinned, frizzy-haired, and short in stature. These indigenous peoples were then visited by early Austronesian seafarers from the west, a place called Matang, orally described as being tall and fair-skinned. Eventually, both groups intermittently clashed and intermingled until they slowly became a uniform population. Around 1300 CE,
1287-432: A mass departure occurred from Samoa leading to the addition of Polynesian ancestry into the mix of most Gilbertese people. These Samoans later brought strong features of Polynesian languages and culture, creating clans based on their own Samoan traditions and slowly intertwining with the indigenous clans and powers already dominant in Kiribati. Around the 15th century, starkly contrasting systems of governance arose between
1386-557: A member of the assembly. The cabinet is composed of the president, vice-president, and 13 ministers (appointed by the president) who are also members of parliament . The legislative branch is the unicameral Maneaba ni Maungatabu (House of Assembly). Its members are elected, including by constitutional mandate, a nominated representative of the Banaban people in Rabi Island , Fiji (Banaba, former Ocean Island), in addition to, until 2016,
1485-611: A new embassy in Kiribati and Tonga and reestablish the Peace Corps presence in the region. Law enforcement in Kiribati is carried out by the Kiribati Police Service which is responsible for all law enforcement and paramilitary duties for the island nation. There are police posts located on all of the islands. The police have one patrol boat, the Guardian-class patrol boat RKS Teanoai II . The main prison in Kiribati
1584-547: A party to both the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Climate Agreement , Fiji hopes to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 which, along with national policies, will help to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The existence of the nation of Kiribati is imperilled by rising sea levels, with the country losing land every year. Many of its islands are currently or becoming inhabitable due to their shrinking size. Thus,
1683-411: A potential adaptation approach for the populations of islands threatened by sea level rise. These depictions are often sensationalist or problematic, although migration may likely form a part of adaptation. Mobility has long been a part of life in islands, but could be used in combination with local adaptation measures. A study that engaged the experiences of residents in atoll communities found that
1782-449: A risk to food security in many Pacific Islands, impacting fisheries and agriculture . As sea level rises, island nations are at increased risk of losing coastal arable land to degradation as well as salination . Once the limited available soil on these islands becomes salinated, it becomes very difficult to produce subsistence crops such as breadfruit . This would severely impact the agricultural and commercial sector in nations such as
1881-417: A threat to the entire existence of the island. Other impacts on small islands include: Governments face a complex task when combining grey infrastructure with green infrastructure and nature-based solutions to help with disaster risk management in areas such as flood control, early warning systems, and integrated water resource management. Climate migration has been discussed in popular media as
1980-478: Is a high ratio of coastline-to-land area, with large portions of populations, infrastructure, and assets being located along the coast. Patterns of increasing hazards , high levels of exposure, and acute vulnerability interact to result in high risk of small island developing states (SIDS) to climate change. Small island developing states (SIDS) have long been recognized as being particularly at risk to climate change. These nations are often described as being on
2079-409: Is expected to be the first country to lose all its land territory to climate change . In June 2008, Kiribati President Anote Tong said that the country had reached "the point of no return." He added, "To plan for the day when you no longer have a country is indeed painful but I think we have to do that." In January 2012, Anote Tong was re-elected for a third and last successive term. In early 2012,
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#17330852563682178-516: Is involved in its construction, and every aspect of the maneaba has a symbolic as well as a practical function. A maneaba serves a similar cultural role to a Polynesian marae . In the neighbouring islands of Tuvalu (formerly called the Ellice Islands), the meeting house is called the maneapa . The sharing of the name is the result of Kiribati and Tuvalu being previously the British crown colony of
2277-605: Is located in Betio , named the Walter Betio Prison. There is also a prison in London on Kiritimati . Male homosexuality is illegal in Kiribati, with a penalty up to 14 years in prison, according to a historical British law; however, this law is not enforced. Kiribati has not yet followed the lead of the United Kingdom, following its Wolfenden report , to decriminalise acts of male homosexuality, beginning with provisions in
2376-609: Is no longer divided into districts (see Subdivisions of Kiribati ). Kiribati has formal political parties but their organisation is quite informal. Ad hoc opposition groups tend to coalesce around specific issues. There is universal suffrage at age 18. Today the only recognisable parties are the Boutokaan Kiribati Moa Party , former Boutokaan te Koaua , and Tobwaan Kiribati Party . Kiribati maintains close relations with its Pacific neighbours, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Fiji. The first three of these provide
2475-399: Is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, coastal erosion and extreme weather . These changes, along with temperature rise, will displace Fijian communities and will prove disruptive to the national economy - tourism, agriculture and fisheries, the largest contributors to the nation's GDP, will be severely impacted by climate change causing increases in poverty and food insecurity. As
2574-551: Is projected to have an average annual loss of 0.5% GDP by 2030; in Pacific SIDS, it will be 0.75–6.5% GDP by 2030. Caribbean SIDS will have average annual losses of 5% by 2025, escalating to 20% by 2100 in projections without regional mitigation strategies. The tourism sector of many island countries is particularly threatened by increased occurrences of extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts . Climate change impacts small island ecosystems in ways that have
2673-609: Is pronounced / iː ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / ee- KIRR -i-bass . The name Kiribati was adopted upon the country's independence in 1979. It is the Gilbertese rendition of Gilberts, the plural of the English name of the nation's main archipelago, the Gilbert Islands . It was named îles Gilbert ( French for 'Gilbert Islands') in about 1820 by Russian admiral Adam von Krusenstern and French captain Louis Duperrey , after
2772-591: Is recorded that the annual total greenhouse gas emissions from islands could range from 292.1 to 29,096.2 [metric] tonne CO 2 -equivalent. Sea level rise is especially threatening to low-lying island nations because seas are encroaching upon limited habitable land and threatening existing cultures. Stefan Rahmstorf , a professor of Ocean Physics at Potsdam University in Germany, notes "even limiting warming to 2 degrees, in my view, will still commit some island nations and coastal cities to drown." Between 1901 and 2018,
2871-614: The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference , influencing the goals of the Paris Agreement . Marshall Islands Prime Minister Tony deBrum was central in forming the High Ambition Coalition at the conference. Meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum have also discussed the issue. The Maldives and Tuvalu particularly have played a prominent role on the international stage. In 2002, Tuvalu threatened to sue
2970-482: The Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14 . Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom, becoming a sovereign state in 1979. The capital, South Tarawa , now the most populated area, consists of a number of islets, connected by a series of causeways . These comprise about half the area of Tarawa Atoll . Prior to its independence the country exported phosphate , but those mines are no longer viable. Fisheries and
3069-628: The Gilbert and Ellice Islands . The House of Assembly (Kiribati) or Government of Kiribati is referred to as the Maneaba ni Maungatabu, or maneaba of the Sacred Mountain. Kiribati Kiribati ( / ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / KIRR -i-bass , Gilbertese: [kiɾibas] ), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( Gilbertese : Ribaberiki Kiribati ), is an island country in
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3168-707: The Maldives and nations of the Caribbean and Pacific Islands are already experiencing considerable impacts of climate change. It is critical for them to implement climate change adaptation measures fast. Some small and low population islands do not have the resources to protect their islands and natural resources. They experience climate hazards which impact on human health, livelihoods, and inhabitable space. This can lead to pressure to leave these islands but resources to do so are often lacking as well. Efforts to combat these challenges are ongoing and multinational. Many of
3267-669: The Marshall Islands and Kiribati . In addition, local fisheries would also be affected by higher ocean temperatures and increased ocean acidification . As ocean temperatures rise and the pH of oceans decreases, many fish and other marine species would die out or change their habits and range. As well as this, water supplies and local ecosystems such as mangroves , are threatened by global warming. SIDS may also have reduced financial and human capital to mitigate climate change risk, as many rely on international aid to cope with disasters like severe storms. Worldwide, climate change
3366-480: The Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean . Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, with more than half living on Tarawa atoll . The state comprises 32 atolls and one remote raised coral island , Banaba . Its total land area is 811 km (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean . The islands' spread straddles
3465-595: The Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) to support the president of Kiribati's initiative to hold a consultative forum between vulnerable states and their partners. The conference strove to create an enabling environment for multi-party negotiations under the auspices of the UNFCCC. The conference was a successor event to the Climate Vulnerable Forum. The ultimate objective of TCCC was to reduce
3564-466: The UNFCCC conferences of the parties (COP). Kiribati is a member of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), an intergovernmental organisation of low-lying coastal and small island countries. Established in 1990, the main purpose of the alliance is to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. AOSIS has been very active from its inception, putting forward
3663-625: The United States and Australia in the International Court of Justice for their contribution to climate change and for not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol . The governments of both of these countries have cooperated with environmental advocacy networks, non-governmental organisations and the media to draw attention to the threat of climate change to their countries. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference , Tuvalu delegate Ian Fry spearheaded an effort to halt negotiations and demand
3762-444: The crown colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1916. The Northern Line Islands, including Christmas Island ( Kiritimati ), were added to the colony in 1919, and the Phoenix Islands were added in 1937 with the purpose of a Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme . On 12 July 1940, Pan Am Airways' American Clipper landed at Canton Island for the first time during a flight from Honolulu to Auckland . Sir Arthur Grimble
3861-463: The equator and the 180th meridian , making Kiribati the only country in the world located simultaneously in all four hemispheres: the Northern , Southern , Western , and Eastern hemispheres. The International Date Line goes around Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching 150°W . This brings Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as
3960-553: The phosphate rock of its soil (discovered in 1900). This discovery and the mining provided a significant amount of revenue, in the form of taxes and duties, to the WPHC. The conduct of William Telfer Campbell , the second resident commissioner of the Gilberts and Ellice Islands of 1896 to 1908, was criticised as to his legislative, judicial and administrative management (including allegations of forced labour exacted from islanders) and became
4059-702: The "unclaimed" central Pacific, leaving Nauru in the German sphere of influence, while Ocean Island and the future GEIC wound up in the British sphere of influence . In 1892, local Gilbertese authorities (an uea , a chief from the Northern Gilbert Group, and atun te boti or head of clan ) on each of the Gilbert Islands agreed to Captain Edward Davis commanding HMS Royalist of the Royal Navy declaring them part of
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4158-555: The 1830s; they included beachcombers , castaways, traders, and missionaries. Dr Hiram Bingham II of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) arrived on Abaiang in 1857. The Roman Catholic faith was introduced on Nonouti around 1880 by 2 Gilbert islanders, Betero and Tiroi, who had become Christians in Tahiti. Father Joseph Leray, Father Edward Bontemps and Brother Conrad Weber, Roman Catholic Missionaries of
4257-624: The British captain Thomas Gilbert . Gilbert and captain John Marshall sighted some of the islands in 1788, while crossing the "outer passage" route from Port Jackson to Canton . Both von Krusenstern's and Duperrey's maps, published in 1824, were written in French. In French, the Northern Islands were until then called îles Mulgrave and Byron Island was not part of them. In English,
4356-465: The British authorities, and later the Republic Government, resettled Gilbertese there under resettlement schemes. In 1982, the first elections since independence were held. A no-confidence vote provoked the 1983 new election . In the post-independence era, overcrowding has been an issue, at least in British and aid organisations' eyes. In 1988, an announcement was made that 4,700 residents of
4455-471: The I-Kiribati at this time were shark tooth-embedded wooden spears, knives, and swords, and garbs of armour fashioned from dense coconut fibre. They chiefly used these instead of the gunpowder and weapons of steel available at the time, because of the strong sentimental value of the equipment handed down through generations. Ranged weapons, such as bows, slings, and javelins, were seldom used; hand-to-hand combat
4554-540: The Islands, as many as 45 in a given year. Activities included assisting in the planning, design and construction of wells, libraries, and other infrastructure, and agricultural, environmental, and community health education. In 2006, volunteer placement was significantly scaled down due to the reduction of consistent air transportation to the outer islands; it was later ended because the associated ability to provide medical care to volunteers could not be assured. In July 2022, US Vice President Harris announced plans to build
4653-615: The Japanese military in late 1943 involved one of the bloodiest battles in US Marine Corps history. Marines landed in November 1943 and the Battle of Tarawa ensued. Ocean Island , the headquarters of the colony, was bombed, evacuated and occupied by Japan in 1942 and not freed until 1945, after the massacre of all but one of the Gilbertese on the island by the Japanese forces. Funafuti hosted then
4752-546: The Line Islands, including Howland , Jarvis , and Baker islands, thus causing a territorial dispute. That was eventually resolved and they finally became part of Kiribati under the Treaty of Tarawa . After the attack on Pearl Harbor , during World War II , Butaritari and Tarawa, and others of the Northern Gilbert group, were occupied by Japan from 1941 to 1943. Betio became an airfield and supply base. The expulsion of
4851-546: The Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . On 20 September 2019, the government of Kiribati restored its diplomatic relationship with the People's Republic of China and simultaneously stopped its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. China offered a 737 aircraft and ferries to Kiribati for the decision, according to Taiwan's foreign minister, Joseph Wu . From 1973 until 2008, a total of almost 500 US Peace Corps volunteers were based on
4950-583: The Sacred Heart arrived on Nonouti in 1888. The Protestant missionaries of the London Missionary Society (LMS) were also active in the southern Gilberts. On 15 October 1870, Rev. Samuel James Whitmee of the LMS arrived at Arorae , and later that month he visited Tamana , Onotoa and Beru . In August 1872, George Pratt of the LMS visited the islands. In 1886, an Anglo-German agreement partitioned
5049-529: The Solomon Islands greatly (5.0 out of 6). Human rights experts provided that the climate crisis has contributed to conflict in communities, negative future socio-economic outlook, and food instability. Tuvalu is a small Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean. It can be found about halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It is made up of nine tiny islands, five of which are coral atolls while
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#17330852563685148-516: The South Seas , which delved into the high chief's character and method of rule during Stevenson's stay in Abemama. The 90th anniversary of his arrival in the Gilbert Islands was chosen to celebrate the independence of Kiribati on 12 July 1979. Chance visits by European ships occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries, while those ships attempted circumnavigations of the world, or sought sailing routes from
5247-548: The UK's Sexual Offences Act 1957. Female homosexuality is legal, but lesbians may face violence and discrimination. However, employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited. Effects of climate change on small island countries The effects of climate change on small island countries are affecting people in coastal areas through sea level rise , increasing heavy rain events, tropical cyclones and storm surges . These effects of climate change threaten
5346-670: The archipelago, particularly the southern part, was often referred to as the Kingsmills in the 19th century, although the name Gilbert Islands was used increasingly, including in the Western Pacific Order in Council of 1877 and in the Pacific Order of 1893. The name Gilbert , already in the name of the British protectorate since 1892, was incorporated into the name of the entire Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (GEIC) from 1916 and
5445-560: The attorney general, who served as an ex officio member from 1979 to 2016. Legislators serve for a four-year term. The constitutional provisions governing administration of justice are similar to those in other former British colonies in that the judiciary is free from governmental interference. The judicial branch is made up of the High Court (in Betio) and the Court of Appeal. The president appoints
5544-867: The average sea level rose by 15–25 cm (6–10 in), with an increase of 2.3 mm (0.091 in) per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had ever risen over at least the past 3,000 years. The rate accelerated to 4.62 mm (0.182 in)/yr for the decade 2013–2022. Climate change due to human activities is the main cause. Between 1993 and 2018, melting ice sheets and glaciers accounted for 44% of sea level rise , with another 42% resulting from thermal expansion of water . Atmospheric temperature extremes have already increased in frequency and intensity in SIDS and are projected to continue along this trend. Heavy precipitation events in SIDS have also increased in frequency and intensity and are expected to further increase. Climate change poses
5643-582: The bulk of the country's foreign aid. Taiwan and Japan also have specified-period licences to fish in Kiribati's waters. There are three resident diplomatic missions headquartered in South Tarawa : the Embassies of the Republic of China (Taiwan) until 2019, replaced by People's Republic of China in 2020 and the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand . Since 2022, there have been talks of opening
5742-411: The capital city Dili . The country is considered highly vulnerable and is expected to experience worsening cyclones , flooding, heatwaves, and drought. As a large percentage of the population is dependent on local agriculture, these changes are expected to impact industry in the country as well. Climate change in Fiji is an exceptionally pressing issue for the country - as an island nation , Fiji
5841-590: The claim in a 2014 decision . On further appeal, the New Zealand Supreme Court confirmed the earlier adverse rulings against the application for refugee status, but rejected the proposition "that environmental degradation resulting from climate change or other natural disasters could never create a pathway into the Refugee Convention or protected person jurisdiction". In 2017, Kiribati signed the UN treaty on
5940-691: The colony was transferred from Fiji to the new capital of Honiara , to the British Solomon Islands , with the Gilberts' Resident Commissioner still headquartered in Tarawa. Further military operations in the colony occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s when Christmas Island was used by the United States and United Kingdom for nuclear weapons testing including hydrogen bombs . Institutions of internal self-rule were established on Tarawa from about 1967. The Ellice Islands asked for separation from
6039-457: The country was written down in 1952 by Ernest Sabatier in his comprehensive Dictionnaire gilbertin–français . The indigenous name often suggested for the Gilbert Islands proper is Tungaru (see e.g., Ernest Sabatier , 1952–1953, or Arthur Grimble , 1989 ). The rendition Kiribati for Gilberts was chosen as the official name of the new independent state by the chief minister, Sir Ieremia Tabai and his cabinet , on such grounds that it
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#17330852563686138-480: The country's vulnerability to the issue. In 2008, fresh water supplies began being encroached by seawater, prompting President Anote Tong to request international assistance to begin relocating the country's population elsewhere. The Palau government are concerned about the effects of climate change on the island nation. In 2008 Palau requested that the UN Security Council consider protection against rising sea levels due to climate change. Tommy Remengesau ,
6237-556: The cultural identities of these populations are strongly tied to these lands. Human rights activists argue that the potential loss of entire atoll countries, and consequently the loss of national sovereignty, self-determination, cultures, and indigenous lifestyles cannot be compensated for financially. Some researchers suggest that the focus of international dialogues on these issues should shift from ways to relocate entire communities to strategies that instead allow for these communities to remain on their lands. Many SIDS now understand
6336-502: The dangerous peak high tides in Tuvalu are becoming higher causing greater danger. In response to sea level rise, Tuvalu is considering resettlement plans in addition to pushing for increased action in confronting climate change at the UN. On 10 November 2023, Tuvalu signed the Falepili Union, a bilateral diplomatic relationship with Australia , under which Australia will provide a pathway for citizens of Tuvalu to migrate to Australia, to enable climate-related mobility for Tuvaluans. In
6435-493: The environment. A Japanese-built downrange tracking station operates on Kiritimati and an abandoned airfield on the island was designated as the landing strip for a proposed reusable unmanned space shuttle called HOPE-X . HOPE-X, however, was eventually cancelled by Japan in 2003. As one of the world's most vulnerable nations to the effects of global warming , Kiribati has been an active participant in international diplomatic efforts relating to climate change, most importantly
6534-407: The existence of many island countries , their peoples and cultures. They also alter ecosystems and natural environments in those countries. Small island developing states (SIDS) are a heterogenous group of countries but many of them are particularly at risk to climate change . Those countries have been quite vocal in calling attention to the challenges they face from climate change. For example,
6633-452: The export of copra drive much of the economy. Kiribati is one of the least developed countries in the world and is highly dependent on international aid for its economy. Kiribati is a member of the Pacific Community , Commonwealth of Nations , the International Monetary Fund , the World Bank , and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States , and became a full member of the United Nations in 1999. As an island nation,
6732-429: The first commercial international flight in two years included 36 passengers who tested positive. In 2024, 5,085 Coronavirus Cases were reported which causes 24 deaths and 2,703 were recovered. On 29 January 2023, Kiribati confirmed its intention to rejoin the Pacific Islands Forum , ending a bitter two-year leadership split. The Constitution of Kiribati , promulgated 12 July 1979, provides for free and open elections in
6831-465: The first draft text in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations as early as 1994. In 2009, President Tong attended the Climate Vulnerable Forum ( V11 ) in the Maldives , with 10 other countries that are vulnerable to climate change , and signed the Bandos Island declaration on 10 November 2009, pledging to show moral leadership and commence greening their economies by voluntarily committing to achieving carbon neutrality . In November 2010, Kiribati hosted
6930-448: The globe completely within the British Empire. The location of Fanning Island, one of the closest formations to Hawaii, led to its annexation by the British Empire in 1888. Nearby candidates including Palmyra Island were not favoured due to the lack of adequate landing sites. The United States eventually incorporated the Northern Line Islands into its territories, and did the same with the Phoenix Islands , which lie between Gilberts and
7029-453: The government of Kiribati purchased the 2,200-hectare Natoavatu Estate on the second largest island of Fiji, Vanua Levu . At the time it was widely reported that the government planned to evacuate the entire population of Kiribati to Fiji. In April 2013, President Tong began urging citizens to evacuate the islands and migrate elsewhere. In May 2014, the Office of the President confirmed the purchase of some 5,460 acres of land on Vanua Levu at
7128-651: The government to shut down newspaper publishers. The legislation followed the launching of Kiribati's first successful non-government-run newspaper. President Tito was re-elected in 2003 but was removed from office in March 2003 by a no-confidence vote and replaced by a Council of State. Anote Tong of the opposition party Boutokaan Te Koaua was elected to succeed Tito in July 2003. He was re-elected in 2007 and in 2011. In June 2008, Kiribati officials asked Australia and New Zealand to accept Kiribati citizens as permanent refugees. Kiribati
7227-453: The islands are vulnerable to climate change and tsunamis. Addressing climate change has been a central part of its international policy, as a member of the Alliance of Small Island States . The name is pronounced / ˈ k ɪr ɪ b æ s / KIRR -i-bass , as -ti in the Gilbertese language represents an [ s ] sound. Similarly, the name of its people, the I-Kiribati,
7326-625: The larger Fiji islands, 2,000 km away. A move described by Tong as an "absolute necessity" should the country's territory be completely submerged under water. In 2013, attention was drawn to a claim of a Kiribati man of being a "climate change refugee" under the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951). However, this claim was determined by the New Zealand High Court to be untenable. The New Zealand Court of Appeal also rejected
7425-469: The main island group would be resettled onto less populated islands. In September 1994, Teburoro Tito from the opposition was elected president. In 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line far to the east to encompass the Line Islands group, so that the country would no longer be divided by the date line. The move, which fulfilled one of President Tito's campaign promises,
7524-408: The majority of the country's population resides in only a handful of islands, with more than half of its residents living on one island alone, Tarawa . This leads to other issues such as severe overcrowding in such a small area. In 1999, the uninhabited islands of Tebua Tarawa and Abanuea both disappeared underwater. The government 's Kiribati Adaptation Program was launched in 2003 to mitigate
7623-412: The natural environment, limited industrial activity, physical remoteness, and limited economies of scale. Due to close connections between human communities and coastal environments, SIDS are particularly exposed to hazards associated with the ocean and cryosphere , including sea level rise , extreme sea levels, tropical cyclones , marine heatwaves , and ocean acidification . A common feature of SIDS
7722-532: The need to move towards low-carbon, climate resilient economies, as set out in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) implementation plan for climate change-resilient development. SIDS often rely heavily on imported fossil fuels, spending an ever-larger proportion of their GDP on energy imports. Renewable technologies have the advantage of providing energy at a lower cost than fossil fuels and making SIDS more sustainable. Barbados has been successful in adopting
7821-399: The northern islands, primarily under chiefly rule ( uea ), and the central and southern islands, primarily under the rule of their council of elders ( unimwaane ). Tabiteuea could be an exception as the sole island that is known as maintaining a traditional egalitarian society. The name Tabiteuea stems from the root phrase Tabu-te-Uea , meaning "chiefs are forbidden". Civil war soon became
7920-536: The number and intensity of fault lines between parties to the COP process, explore elements of agreement between the parties and thereby to support Kiribati's and other parties' contribution to COP16 held in Cancun , Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010. In 2013, President Tong spoke of climate-change induced sea level rise as "inevitable". "For our people to survive, then they will have to migrate. Either we can wait for
8019-516: The other four consists of land rising from the sea bed. All are low-lying islands with no point on Tuvalu being higher than 4.5m above sea level. The analysis of 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 years of sea level data from Funafuti , identified that the sea level rise rate was 5.9 mm per year (in the 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 years to September 2008) and the sea level in the Funafuti area rose approximately 9.14 cm during that period of time. As well as this,
8118-424: The president of Palau, has said: Palau has lost at least one third of its coral reefs due to climate change related weather patterns. We also lost most of our agricultural production due to drought and extreme high tides. These are not theoretical, scientific losses -- they are the losses of our resources and our livelihoods.... For island states, time is not running out. It has run out. And our path may very well be
8217-427: The presiding judges. Local government is through island councils with elected members. Local affairs are handled in a manner similar to town meetings in colonial America. Island councils make their own estimates of revenue and expenditure and generally are free from central government controls. There are a total of 21 inhabited islands in Kiribati. Each inhabited island has its own council. Since independence, Kiribati
8316-518: The provisional headquarters of the colony from 1942 to 1946, when Tarawa returned to host the headquarters, replacing Ocean Island. At the end of 1945, most of the remaining inhabitants of Banaba, repatriated from Kosrae , Nauru and Tarawa, were relocated to Rabi Island , a land of Fiji that the British government had acquired in 1942 for this purpose. On 1 January 1953, the British Western Pacific High Commissioner of
8415-576: The rest of the colony in 1974 and granted their own internal self-rule institutions. The separation entered into force on 1 January 1976. In 1978, the Ellice Islands became the independent state of Tuvalu . The Gilbert Islands gained independence as the Republic of Kiribati on 12 July 1979. Then, in September, the United States relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Islands, in
8514-475: The small island developing countries have a high vulnerability to climate change, whilst having contributed very little to global greenhouse gas emissions . Therefore, some small island countries have made advocacy for global cooperation on climate change mitigation a key aspect of their foreign policy . Sea level was much lower during the last ice age when glaciers covered a third of Earth's land mass. Small island developing states (SIDS) are identified as
8613-572: The south to north Pacific Ocean. A passing trade, whaling the On-The-Line grounds, and labour ships associated with the coercive labour recruitment practices, known as blackbirding . This recruitment of Kanaka workers in large numbers during the 19th century, had social, economic, political, religious and cultural consequences. More than 9,000 workers were sent abroad from 1845 to 1895, most of them not returning. The passing trade gave rise to European, Indian, Chinese, Samoan, and other residents from
8712-482: The subject of the 1909 report by Arthur Mahaffy . In 1913, an anonymous correspondent to The New Age newspaper described the maladministration of W. Telfer Campbell and challenged the impartiality of Arthur Mahaffy, because he was a former colonial official in the Gilberts. The anonymous correspondent also criticised the operations of the Pacific Phosphate Company on Ocean Island. The islands became
8811-428: The time when we have to move people en masse or we can prepare them—beginning from now ..." In New York in 2014, per The New Yorker , President Tong told The New York Times that "according to the projections, within this century, the water will be higher than the highest point in our lands". In 2014, President Tong finalised the purchase of a 20 km (7.7 sq mi) stretch of land on Vanua Levu , one of
8910-623: The use of solar water heaters (SWHs). A 2012 report published by the Climate & Development Knowledge Network showed that its SWH industry now boasts over 50,000 installations. These have saved consumers as much as US$ 137 million since the early 1970s. The report suggested that Barbados' experience could be easily replicated in other SIDS with high fossil fuel imports and abundant sunshine. The governments of several island nations have made political advocacy for greater international ambition on climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation
9009-505: The window to your own future and the future of our planet. Between 1947 and 2014, six islands of the Solomon Islands disappeared due to sea level rise , while another six shrunk by between 20 and 62 per cent. Nuatambu Island was the most populated of these with 25 families living on it; 11 houses washed into the sea by 2011. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that the climate crisis has worsened human rights conditions in
9108-583: The world's largest marine protected area to commercial fishing. The 2022 Kiribati constitutional crisis started with the suspension of all 5 major Justices of the judiciary of Kiribati . In 2020, Kiribati’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic , consistent with most of the COVID-19 responses of Oceania island nations , was to impose strict limits on tourism and commercial travel. Kiribati reported that it remained essentially COVID-free (two cases) until January 2022 when
9207-523: The “frontlines of climate change”, as “hot spots of climate change”, or as being “canaries in the coalmine”. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned already in 2001 that small island countries will experience considerable economic and social consequences due to climate change. Small island developing states make minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions , with a combined total of less than 1%. However, that does not indicate that greenhouse emissions are not produced at all, and it
9306-595: Was a cadet administrative officer based at Tarawa (1913–1919) and became Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands colony in 1926. In 1902, the Pacific Cable Board laid the first trans-Pacific telegraph cable from Bamfield , British Columbia, to Fanning Island (Tabuaeran) in the Line Islands, and from Fiji to Fanning Island, thus completing the All Red Line , a series of telegraph lines circumnavigating
9405-509: Was a prominent skill still practised today, though seldom mentioned because of various taboos associated with it, secrecy being the primary one. Abemama 's High Chief Tembinok' was the last of the dozens of expansionist chiefs of Gilbert Islands of this period, despite Abemama historically conforming to the traditional southern islands' governance of their respective unimwaane . He was immortalised in Robert Louis Stevenson 's book In
9504-467: Was intended to allow businesses across the expansive territory to keep the same business week. This also enabled Kiribati to become the first country to see the dawn of the third millennium , an event of significance for tourism. Tito was re-elected in 1998. In 1999, Kiribati became a full member of the United Nations, 20 years after independence. In 2002, Kiribati passed a controversial law that enabled
9603-518: Was modern, and to comprehend the inclusion of outer islands (e.g., the Phoenix Group and Line Islands), which were not considered part of the Tungaru (or Gilberts) chain. The area now called Kiribati has been inhabited by Austronesian peoples speaking the same Oceanic language , from north to south, including the southernmost Nui , since sometime between 3000 BCE and 1300 CE. The area
9702-419: Was not completely isolated; later, voyagers from Samoa , Tonga , and Fiji introduced some Polynesian and Melanesian cultural aspects, respectively. Intermarriage and intense navigation between the islands tended to blur cultural differences and resulted in a significant degree of cultural homogenization. Local oral historians chiefly in the form of lore keepers suggest that the area was first inhabited by
9801-415: Was retained after the Ellice Islands became the separate country of Tuvalu in 1976. The spelling of Gilberts in the Gilbertese language as Kiribati may be found in books in Gilbertese prepared by missionaries , but with the meaning of Gilbertese ( demonym and language) (see e.g., Hawaiian Board of Missionaries, 1895). The first mention as a dictionary entry of the word Kiribati as the native name of
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