Moving Kiribati

A Regional Problem-Solving Collaborative

Alison Beitelspacher and Robin Israel
Collaborative Conflict Solving Skill Builder

Role Play Purpose
The focus of this process is to collaborate regarding the following issues.
This is a problem-solving collaborative amongst within a region. articipants ma! or ma! not
know each other" but the! are certainl! familiar with the stances of the other groups and have
enough background#possibl! $rumors%#to have ideas about them that ma! make them a little
war!. The multiple roles the participants pla! in fulfilling their responsibilities &to the group" the
people the! represent" the region" etc.' can both complicate their ideas of a solution and threaten
the legitimac! of the collaboration. There is no eas! solution in this case" so participants will
need to put aside their political biases" trust issues" and competing interests to find a wa! to
address an issue that will" ultimatel!" affect ever!one in the region over time.
Case Overview
Background: There are currentl! (()"))) people who occup! the countr! of *iribati. *iribati is
comprised of +, islands and one raised atoll. The islands put together have a landmass of +(+
s-uare miles" which is e-uivalent to ,))"+,) acres of land. Taiwan and .apan also have
specified-period licenses to fish in *iribati/s waters. The *iribati people" known as the I-*iribati"
speak their local language and observe a tribal like wa! of handling disputes. The *iribati
households are supported b! subsistence fishing" agriculture" and copra cutting. The main
sources of emplo!ment include the public sector and seafarers on cargo ships.
0one! is an issue for *iribati1 it is a small" $developing%" island nation that does not have
sufficient funding for an! traditional adaptation methods presented in various climate change
assessments" meaning eventual migration will be the adaptation strateg! for the people of
*iribati. The 23 is 45(, million 6S3 per !ear. *iribati currentl! faces nearl! 4( billion in
bills for the protection of their infrastructure from the effects of climate change" and these costs
are simpl! unsustainable in the long run" despite the assistance from outside sources1 In ,))7"
*iribati received 47 million from the 86 and 4+.9 million from the 6nited :ations 3evelopment
rogram. In ,)();((" the countr! received 4(< million in $development assistance% from
Australia" another 4(= million or so split between .apan" :ew >ealand and Taiwan and
somewhere between 4(5 to 4,) million from the Asian 3evelopment Bank and the ?orld Bank.
*iribati maintains cordial relations with most countries and has close relations with its acific
neighbors" .apan" Australia and :ew >ealand.
The hoeni@ Islands rotected Area &IA' became 6:8SCA/s largest ?orld Beritage marine
protected area" at over C))"))) s-uare kilometers" in ,)(). :ew >ealand/s 3epartment of
Conservation has completed its first phase of work that has seen pests eradicated from selected
Islands within the group" and 2overnment staff trained in effective invasive species
management. This has seen a remarkable recover! of vegetation on the islands" and will provide
a remote refuge for nesting seabirds.
Problem: Across the course of geologic time" sea level has changed with glacial and interglacial
periods. Climate destabiliDation is accelerating this process" however" causing sea levels to rise
more -uickl! than the! naturall! would have. Af the combined land mass" most of it sits" at
most" , meters &5.< feet' above sea level and is e@pected to be submerged b! ,)<). The effects of
climate change have caused devastating droughts" the loss of coconut trees" drinking water
shortages due to the flow of saltwater into drinking wells. Standing water breeds bacteria and
carries illnesses. The health of the *iribati is in Eeopard! even before their homes wash awa!.
The *iribati are not e-uipped to address climate change on their own because climate change is a
global issue. 0oving the I-*iribati might make the rest of the world understand how critical the
climate issue is now. Currentl! the climate change issue is being addressed as a problem of the
future and the issue of the sinking islands might help to bring the climate problem in focus. It is
important to remember that this is the model for how we will solve the climate change problem
with the rest of the sinking islands.
*iribati is not the onl! nation that is suffering from these problems1 Tuvalu" the Cook Islands"
:auru" :iue" and parts of the Solomon Islands are all facing the same problem. In fact" TuvaluFs
government has been discussing the fear that its last palm tree will sink into the ocean within <)
!ears. If the climate change is not taken seriousl! on the world stage" that is probabl! what will
happen. That means that what is decided here will be a reference point and a likel! model for the
other island nations.
Sinking Island orum
The reason for toda!Fs meeting is to address the issue of the sinking Island of *iribati. Gou have
all been asked to meet on a preliminar! basis to report back to !our respective bosses and
stakeholders regarding some solutions to the sinking island problem. Gou have been asked to
brainstorm some ideas as to what is the most likel! beneficial solution for all parties involved.
?hile it is understood that !ou might not come up with one solid solution that will be acted on"
the idea is to come up with one or two solutions that are plausible solutions to this problem. At
this point" all other options have been e@amined including building a seawall and creating
manmade islands. The focus of this meeting is to decide on what is the best wa! to move the
*iribati people and where the! will be moving. Gou are all interested in the future of the island
nation people of *iribati as well as the other islands in similar situations. ?hile each person has
a different perspective and limitation to their abilit! to help it is generall! understood that all
parties are interested in finding a mutual solution.
Agenda
Introduction !"# minutes$
3efine purpose" set ground rules" review agenda" confirm voluntar! representation.
Part "- !%# minutes$
?here are the I-*iribati are to be relocatedH ?ho would pa! for the landH
Part &-!%# minutes$
Bow would the! be movedH Ior e@ample all at once" or in transition phasesH ?hoFs providing
for the temporar! shelter during the interim of the moveH
Part %- !%# minutes$
?ould the State of *iribati be able to maintain sovereignt!H Bow would it do this if it were split
up among several islandsH If it canFt maintain sovereignt! how can the people maintain a cultural
identit! across several islandsH

'ebrie(ing !&# minutes$
roblems" conclusions" lessons learned.
Stake)older Synopses
Rition Kabunateiti, Kiribati State Representative: *iribati is a bit of a flawed democrac!--the president has been
democraticall! elected three times" though there have been concerns regarding electoral fraud brought up each time.
At an! rate" the countr! and its leader have been active in addressing climate change effects on island nations"
participating in the 6: Iramework Convention on Climate Change &6:ICCC'" Alliance of Small Island States" the
Climate Julnerable Iorum in the 0aldives" creating IA and hosting the Tarawa Climate Change Conference. The
countr! is ver! poor and is unable to fund traditional adaptation methods presented in various climate change
assessments. 0r. *abunateiti has been charged to represent the main goal of *iribati as one that keeps the countr!
independent and that the children of *iribati and their children can continue to celebrate that independence as
health!" educated people in an economicall! sound state that does not result in a high cultural loss and retains the
dignit! of the I-*iribati people.
John Gill, Australia Federal Representative: Because Australia is b! far the largest and most recogniDed nation in the
region" it acts as the leader of the region" suppl!ing much financial aid to the smaller countries. Australia is also
part! to the Alliance of Small Island States" despite its siDe" because it has weight on the international stage" and is
active in all the climate forums" as well as taking some of the responsibilities" along with :ew >ealand" in
monitoring and maintaining IA. The rime 0inister" up for election this !ear" has publicall! committed to activel!
helping resolve the issues arising due climate change" and has an acknowledged that she hopes this will help to
repair some of the damage she has created with the international coverage of her refugee polic! that led as!lum-
seekers to be housed for indeterminate time periods in detention centers on :auru and Tasmania because she had
previousl! not been willing to allow the population of Australia to grow.
Rodne Allen, !estern Australia Representative: 0r. Allen represents the concerns of the people of ?estern Australia
#in this case" the most specificall! interested people are those from a cit! along the western coast named :ew
Brighton with a population of ,))"))) people. This is one of the areas that has been proposed for i-*iribati
resettlement. The vast maEorit! of the citiDens in this area rel! on the fishing industr! to make their living. 0r. Allen
is here to represent the people of this cit! and the surrounding areas who are concerned that their land ma! be given
awa! and that the i-*iribati could encroach on their fishing business.
Sharon S"ith#Johns, Fi$i Representative: IiEi is a militar! government. After several coups over the !ears" Irank
Bainimarama" Commander of the 0ilitar! Iorces and a native of IiEi himself" staged a militar! takeover in ,))5 and
has since become the acting rime 0inister. The government has been accused of multiple human right violations"
specificall! against non-native island people. IiEi" however" is aware of the regional vulnerabilit! of other small
island nations at somewhat lower sea levels and is part! to the Alliance of Small Island States" the *!oto rotocol"
and the acific Island Iramework for Action on Climate Change ,))5-,)(<" committing to the goal of $ensuring
acific Island people build their capacit! to be resilient to the risks and impacts of climate change%#a goal the!
take seriousl!. :eighboring countries must work together when possible" because the! are too small to do it on their
own. It also doesnFt hurt if the! can gain some financial benefits along the wa!.
%enr Tai&i, 'nited (ations )acific Regional *oordinator1 The 6: Regional CoordinatorFs Affice works together with
6: Countr! Teams &6:CTs' to coordinate the work of 6: funds" agencies and organiDations in support of the
achievement of national development goals as reflected in the 0illennium 3eclaration and 0illennium
3evelopment 2oals" and to assist governments to respond to crises. The 6:CTs consist of all agencies" funds and
their programs in the fourteen acific Island countries. ?hile he was not the original 6: representative selected for
this collaboration" Benr! Taiki comes with great e@perience as a climatologist for the ?orld 0eteorological
ArganiDation" specialiDing in 3evelopment and Regional Activities and providing assistance to the :ational
0eteorological and B!drological Services with a strong emphasis on developing and least developed countries.
Re(erences
Kocations ( and , offered b! Australia for relocation of *iribati people.

Sea walls made of concrete-filled sacks. The model for a man-made island.
*onfidential +nfor"ation for Sta&eholders
Rition Kabunateiti, Kiribati State Representative
Con(idential In(ormation
?hile there ma! have -uestions of electoral fraud in *iribati in the last few elections" the Bigh
Court of Tarawa confirmed that the fraud was untrue and !ou believe !our resident has
demonstrated his passion for the i-*iribati as a tireless advocate for the countr!" especiall! in
regard to climate change issues and sinking of the islands.
The government has worked closel! with climatologists and environmentalists to educated and
aware of an! changes and future impacts of climate change on the island nation. Because of this"
!ou know the worst is !et to come. These people have been useful and supportive in conferences
and negotiations" and in creating IA. Additionall!" in ,))=" *iribati signed on to the acific
Islands Iisheries artnership Agreement which takes measures to manage and conserve valuable
bige!e" skipEack L !ellowfin tuna.
The resident and the *iribati 2overnment in whole hoped the 6: would be helpful" but found
that the Iramework Convention on Climate Change &6:ICCC' was unproductive and
disappointing" partiall! due to the Tuvalu rotocol being defeated#it proposed deep and legall!
binding emissions cuts#even for developing nations#and was supported b! the small island
states and opposed b! China" India" Saudi Arabia. :o one seems to grasp that the effects of
climate change and global warning are not an issue of the (uture but that our island nations are
vulnerable and at risk now. Karge $emerging nations% like India and China cooperated at
Copenhagen to thwart attempts at establishing legall! binding targets for carbon emissions in
order to protect their economic growth. The resident has asked !ou to work on a smaller" more
regional scale" in hopes that a solution can happen in this forum.
Climate change threatens the long-term survival of *iribati. Some communities have alread! had
to relocate to other islands because their previous village is submerged. Sea water washes up
during high tide and washes out houses more and more fre-uentl!. Trees and crops are d!ing.
Safe drinking water is in short suppl!. Standing water breeds bacteria and carries illnesses. The
health of the I-*iribati is in Eeopard!" even before their homes wash awa!.
The *iribati 2overnment acknowledges that relocation of its people ma! be inevitable. It would
be irresponsible to acknowledge this realit! and not do an!thing to prepare the communit! for
eventual migration in circumstances that permit them to migrate with dignit!. That said"
relocation will alwa!s be viewed as an option of last resort. Gou will have to do all that !ou can
to preserve *iribati as a sovereign and habitable entit!. At the same time" if relocation becomes
necessar! and nothing has been done to read! people for the move" it will not be possible to
rapidl! relocate over (()"))) people in a wa! that preserves the dignit! of those being relocated
and minimiDe the burden on the receiving countries.
Some think that building sea walls and planting mangroves to repel rising seas will allow life in
*iribati to continue much as it has for centuries. Gou disagree. ?ell-built sea walls made of
sacks full of concrete hinder fishing activities and would cost around 4( billion There are not
sufficient funds for this. Iurther" new data released in Iebruar! of ,)(+ shows that seas are rising
-uicker than previous estimates" pointing to a one-meter &+.,< foot' rise b! the end of the centur!
and the islands of *iribati are" at their highest" onl! two meters above sea-level. lus" the sea
walls alread! built seem precarious and are having difficult! being built at the proper -ualit!"
with the poor maintaining significantl! less effective walls.
It is possible that the population could migrate to other nations &like Australia or IiEi' that have
offered to accept some of its people" but the! onl! seem to offer take small numbers of people"
meaning that *iribati will no longer be sovereign and the people will have difficult! maintaining
an identit!. If case this is necessar!" though" the government has alread! begun Eob training
programs &nursing and seasonal worker programs' so that the I-*iribati can migrate to new
countries as productive immigrants with a place in the communit!" rather than as environmental
refugees and second-class citiDens. This wa!" skilled workers &fishermen and agricultural
workers' can be sent to new countries first so that the! can create a positive impact on the
econom! and the new countr! will have a good view the immigrants from *iribati. The
government believes it will be best to train people in phases and send them in steps.
The government has set aside the funding &47.5 million' and is willing to purchase 5"))) acres of
private land in IiEi from a church group" to provide food for *iribati and possibl! act as a new
island home. This land could be an investment for food securit! issues. But if all the land the I-
*iribati live in now becomes totall! swamped" ma!be it would provide an alternative living
space in the future. This sort of relocation is the best option in keeping the nation together and its
people together" though !ou wouldnFt want to cram all the people on one island" as that is not
similar to the la!out in !our countr!" and does not support the culture and social structure" so
there will need to be some additional lands purchased" as well.
0an-made islands similar to an offshore oil platform are an e@pensive option &estimated at 4,
billion'" but remain a possibilit! if the global communit! helps foot the bill. Gou will loudl!
consider radical ideas" if the! get attention and if someone is willing to fund them" but even this
sounds a bit too science fiction-like to !ou" especiall! considering the agricultural nature of !our
people.
John Gill, Australia Federal Representative
Con(idential In(ormation
Australia is the largest island in the region" and thus" must act a leader for the other nations in
!our area. The island of *iribati is ver! close to !our countr! !our rime 0inister considers
herself someone who is globall! aware and is focused on making decisions that build a better
future. She has directed !ou to do what !ou can to work with this collaborative group to come up
with a solution for this regional problem so that it might help strengthen international relations
after the refugee detention center controvers!. She wants !ou to be as fle@ible as !ou can" but to
be aware that there is an election coming up and not all the voters ma! be welcoming of the i-
*iribati onto their land. She has also instructed !ou to remember that Australia is the single
largest supplier of foreign aid to *iribati &4(< million last !ear' and to ever! other small island
state in the acific" so take that into consideration when tr!ing to balance the needs of the
*iribati people and the how voters might respond.
Gou have , locations available to offer the *iribati people. In both locations the *iribati people
would need to build their own houses" roads" electrical and water utilit! plants" and an!
additional facilities that the! might deem necessar! for dail! life. The *iribati people would
also need to contribute to the financial stabilit! of the countr! b! pa!ing ta@es.
The locations you have available are the following:
*ocation "-
Kocated in the center of the island towards the northwest !ou have an area of land that is
currentl! uninhabited e@cept b! graDing animals. ?hile the animals do graDe here and it might
be possible to have a few t!pes of livestock" it certainl! isnFt ideal for an!one who would need to
make a living raising farm animals. The selling price of this land would be 4,)"))) 6S3 per
acre.
*ocation &-
Kocated in the northwestern region close to the cost !ou have an area that is less populated than
other locations. It is currentl! inhabited b! some small fishing towns &population ranging from
(")))-("<)) persons' and a larger cit! &population ,))")))'. The available land is within ()
miles of the outside of the larger cit!. The selling price of this land would be 45)"))) 6S3 per
acre.
?hile Australia is interested in helping out the *iribati people" it is preferred that the! move to
Kocation (#the land that is currentl! not inhabited#knowing it would create less tension with
!our citiDens.
Because the rime 0inister is up for election this !ear" she does not want to ruin her chances for
reelection and so has instructed !ou to not commit to taking on an! more than <)M of the
*iribati population. The needs of the citiDens must be balanced with the political relationships
that the *iribati people hold" so Australia will onl! be willing to take the *iribati people on as
citiDens of !our nation and not as citiDens of their own countr!;state. This aspect is a big ke! in
!our need to host the *iribati people.
Rodne Allen, !estern Australia Representative
Con(idential In(ormation
Gou represent the citiDens of the State of ?estern Australia. In this forum" it is the people who
live along the northwestern coast that have the concerns being voiced. In fact" !ou !ourself are
from the area that ma! be affected" where !our ancestors have inhabited the land for hundreds of
!ears. The cit! where !ou live is called :ew Brighton with a population of ,))"))) people.
There are also several small fishing communities close to !ou" but !our town is necessar! for
their survival.
:ew Brighton is a fishing communit! where most of the residents make their living off of the
fishing industr! either b! actuall! fishing or working in a related industr! &such as packaging'.
The waters off the coast where !ou live are home to a few t!pes of rare fish that man! people
internationall! consider a delicac!. There are also a few other t!pes of sea creatures and fish that
are caught and sold" but people make the most mone! off of the priDed tuna. Sadl!" the waters
have been over fished in the area for !ears and it is becoming harder and harder to catch enough
to support a famil!.
Gour constituents have heard about the problem regarding the *iribati island people and the
possibilit! of them being moved to !our part of the countr!. Gou are not in favor of the *iribati
moving into !our area. Gou are also worried that the *iribati" as fisherman" will make it even
more difficult for the people !ou represent to support their families" as the waters are over fished
as it is. Gou donFt want an! further economic hardship in the area. The island of *iribati is close
enough that information regarding the last *iribati election with allegations of electoral fraud
traveled to !our constituents" causing them to -uestions them even more. There are also rumors
that the *iribati are onl! interested in moving to another island because the! have over fished
their waters and depleted their own resources. Gou refuse to let this happen to ?estern Australia.
Baving the *iribati move into !our area would re-uire additional ta@es" which !ou are not in
favor of. Gou do not want the *iribati to move to !our state" especiall! in the location where !ou
call home.
Gou plan on hosting a town hall meeting this week where !ou intend to inform the citiDens of
!our town. Gou hope that this town hall meeting inspires the citiDens of ?estern Australia and
:ew Brighton to protest this political move b! holding a rall! outside the rime 0inisterFs
-uarters ne@t week. The rime 0inister of Australia is up for re-election this !ear and !ou have
reason to believe the rime 0inister ma! be considering allowing the *iribati people to move
onto land that rightfull! belongs to Australians. Gou believe it is important to have the people of
Australia understand wh! the *iribati should not move onto !our part of the island and hope to
inspire them to not reelect the rime 0inister should she choose to do so.
Sharon S"ith#Johns, Fi$i Representative
Con(idential In(ormation
A former Australian newspaper e@ecutive" !ou were initiall! appointed to the position of
temporar! Information Secretar! after living in IiEi for () !ears and running the national internet
service. Gou took the position" despite allegations against the current regime regarding human
rights issues against non-indigenous people. Being labeled $chief censor% for BainimaramaFs
$dictatorship% when !ou know !ou were sharing information with the public in the most
responsible wa! possible ma! have committed !ou to the position even more" and !ou re-uested
the permanent post. Since then" !ou have moving up in the government#some sa! as a $token%
to disguise the fact that Bainimarama favors native islanders. Gou believe in the rime 0inister
of IiEi and !ou think the criticism is sensationaliDedN the! often come with attacks on !ou for not
being originall! from IiEi" which !ou take as a clear sign that cultural issues" @enophobia" and
ignorance are comple@ items that are going to take a long time to change.
In the (7C)s" *iribatiFs Banaba Island was decimated b! phosphate mining and the vast maEorit!
of the population moved to the island of Rabi in IiEi. So here we are again. And !ou know that
this could be an issue with the people of IiEi who are clearl! not the most tolerant people or
civiliDed. But the truth is that !our government and rime 0inister are committed to showing
friendship to neighboring states in peril. Gou must show that !our nation is one dedicated to
greater good" and not a dictatorship. It is especiall! valuable with the 6: looking on. And it is
also useful to be working with *iribati" since the! cannot criticiDe the Bainimarama government
much because of their own suspect electoral process.
?hile the State of IiEi is not opposed to *iribatiFs purchase of the land and welcomes its people"
(()"))) people is a lot. The agreement that the State has approved is a private agreement
between *iribati and a church group that owns the land. The church group would receive the
47.5 million minus ta@ and the land would belong to *iribati" similar to how celebrities own
various islands as private propert!. Bowever" the land would continue to be under the Eurisdiction
and sovereignt! of IiEi.
The difficult! arises in that the I-*iribati people seek to maintain a sovereign nation within the
land of IiEi. This would mean giving up control and rights to this land" in addition to an! abilit!
to make mone! off of the land that would be used for agriculture.
The thing is" IiEi is not Eust here to offer land to whomever needs it. It ma! be somewhat larger
than *iribati" but itFs still limited. .ust because IiEi granted land to *iribati in the past does not
mean it can keep on happening. The 47.5 million offered for the 5"))) acres is reasonable and
certainl! not undervalued" though.
If IiEi were to generousl! grant Eurisdiction to *iribati" IiEi would need to be generousl!
compensated in return. IiEi has considered that to provide e@tended Eurisdiction to *iribati"
similar to an autonomous region" an additional price of 4(, million to the State would suffice+ In
this circumstance" IiEi would cede power of that region to *iribati and ever!one living there
would be relocated or become part of the *iribati state+
Atherwise" the people of Banaba seem to have integrated well into IiEi on the island of Raba" and
it seems perfectl! reasonable that this move could work similarl!" as part of IiEi and under its
Eurisdiction.
%enr Tai&i, 'nited (ations )acific Regional *oordinator
Con(idential In(ormation
?hile !ou were a transplant from .apan to Januatu earl! in !our career" !our work here for over
,) !ears has connected !ou to the acific Islands. In fact" !ou were selected as the 6: acific
Regional Coordinator because of !our e@tensive development e@perience with the ?orld
0eteorological ArganiDation. In that position" and in working for the 6:" !ou follow regional
and national developments in the h!dromet sector" communicating with and linking members to
each other and to technical and development partners" and aim to provide crucial weather"
climate and water information services to the various socio-economic sectors throughout the
acific countries" and also to bring the regional issues to global light.
Gou were not the initial 6: choice to participate in this collaboration" but knowing that the first
choice was one unfamiliar with the area and the climatologic issues that are being dealt with" !ou
felt he was not the best disinterested part!. This ma! have a little to do with his e@pressed
irritation regarding the events around the Tuvalu rotocol a few !ears ago1 a proposal of deep
and legall! binding emissions cuts#even for developing nations#supported b! small island
states and opposed b! China" India" Saudi Arabia. The disagreement caused a suspension in
negotiations" and resulted in a nois! demonstration involving thousands of environmentalists. It
held up proceedings for two consecutive da!s until it was reEected due to opposition from larger
nations" but not without TuvaluFs representative putting on a tear-Eerking performance that
created a cacophon! of applause and cheers. It was dramatic and disappointing at the same time"
and to have someone who was irritated with the e@citement it caused participate seems far too
disinterested to !ou" so !ou proposed a change in representation. Be happil! gave up the spot.
?hile some might perceive !our presence here to be less useful in the political sense" !ou
believe it is !our dedication to the region and knowledge of climate" h!drolog!" and development
that will be ultimatel! valuable and that the acific nations can work this out in a culturall!
appropriate wa!. Additionall!" living in the region gives !ou significant background knowledge
of the goings on within and between these countries. Gou ma! consider !ourself a Januatu
national these da!s" but !ou were still raised with a .apanese perspective. Gou know !ou must be
aware of the repeated and suspect circumstances under which the resident of *iribati was
elected#he was accused of fraud b! his brother &who was his opponent' in one election and had
his opponents e@cluded in another election. Gou are also aware that IiEiFs rime 0inister has led
two coups of his countr! and has been accused of human rights violations against non-native
island people. It is also never far from !our mind that Australia has a tendenc! to treat
surrounding countries as if the! are piddl! and insignificant" being especiall! condescending
after suppl!ing funding to a countr!#not to mention their problems with refugees in the past.
*iribatiFs islands are spread out over (.+ million s-uare miles of land and water. 0ost of the land
is , meters &5.< feet' above sea level or less. Scientists estimate that the maEorit! of the nation
will be under water b! ,)<). 8ven now" high tides wash sea waters across agricultural lands"
resulting in lost agricultural crops. The high tides leave standing water which not onl! leads to
erosion and the death of coconut trees" but to drinking water shortages due to the flow of
saltwater into drinking wells" to waste management problems and water contamination" and
ultimatel!" health problems for the people who suffer from regular and various infections
because of water pollution.
Because the nations of Tuvalu" the Cook Islands" :auru" :iue" and the Solomon Islands are all
facing the same problem#in fact" the Solomon Islands have alread! lost two &largel!
uninhabited' islands#it is likel! that what is decided here will be held up as a model as to how
to address the same issues in those countries. It also means that the 4() million the 6: has
allocated to address the problem of sinking islands in the acific will not and cannot go entirel!
to *iribati.
Gou have two main concerns and one secondar! concern1
(' Bow much of the 6: mone! allocated for the acific Islands sinking due to climate change
can !ou afford to give up to *iribati" knowing that < other nations are also sinkingH Currentl!"
!ou believe it best to allocate 4, million to the three most endangered nations1 *iribati" Tuvalu"
and :auru" and then divide the rest between the other nations. *iribati and Tuvalu" however"
seem to be the onl! nations activel! seeking solutions" rather than waiting for someone else to
solve the problem for them" so !ou might be open to weighting their portions more heavil!.
,' 6ltimatel!" !ou donFt care how the land issues are solved" !ou Eust want to make sure these
nations of ver! different temperaments donFt get involved in unstable agreements" nor that one
takes advantage of another. Gou want this to be seen as a possible model solution for the other
countries that ma! be facing relocation in the future.
Secondar! concern1 The dire nature that leads *iribati to relocate must be clarified to the
international communit! so that the! understand that climate change is happening now and it has
critical effects.