Survey on Fiji’s ‘Radical’ Strategy to Escape Rising Sea Levels

Fiji’s vulnerability to extreme weather and climate change is particularly acute – the island nation is notably at risk from rising sea levels, coastal erosion, and climate change. As a result of these changes, many Fijian communities will be dislocated and disrupted. Tourism, agriculture, and fisheries – the nation’s most important economic sectors will be severely affected by climate change, increasing food insecurity and poverty.

Consequently, hundreds of villages could soon be underwater in Fiji. Relocating so many communities is a monumental task. Nonetheless, the plan is outlined. And the rest of the world is eagerly watching.

In Fiji, a special government task force has been trying to figure out how to move the country for the past four years. With intricate spider graphs and detailed timelines, the plan runs to 130 pages of dense text. Although the document’s title is tedious – Standard Operating Procedures for Planned Relocations (SOPs) – it is the most comprehensive plan ever devised to deal with climate change’s most urgent consequences: relocating communities in danger of flooding.

The task is enormous. Located 1,800 miles east of Australia in the south Pacific, Fiji has more than 300 islands and just under one million people. As with most of the Pacific, the climate crisis severely impacts it. Ocean heat and surface temperatures are increasing three times faster in parts of the southwest Pacific than globally. Severe cyclones regularly batter the region.

Fiji has been struck by six cyclones since 2016, with Cyclone Winston causing $4 billion in damage and killing 44 people. The Pacific region accounts for five of the 15 countries most vulnerable to weather-related events, whereas Fiji ranks 14th.

Fiji is undertaking an unprecedented endeavor. Politicians and scientists for years have discussed climate migration. Fiji and many other Pacific nations have already begun the migration. The question is no longer whether communities will be moved but how.

Due to the impacts of the climate crisis, 42 Fijian villages have been identified for relocation within the next five to ten years. Currently, six villages have been relocated. The list of villages at risk keeps growing with each new cyclone or disaster.

Fiji’s lush, mountainous terrain makes it incredibly challenging to relocate. The relocation doesn’t just pull out 30 or 40 houses in a village and move them upfield. Along with homes, there are a million things to move: schools, health centers, roads, electricity, water, and infrastructure. Understating the challenges of relocating, which are not just logistical – though that element is hard enough – but also financial, political, and even spiritual, like the families finding it difficult to leave behind their ancestors’ graves.

After the final consultation, Fiji’s cabinet is about to approve the SOP document. According to Erica Bower, Climate Change and Human Mobility Specialist who worked with the United Nations (UN) and the Fijian government, no other country has thought about it.

Fiji’s first relocation effort, Vunidogoloa, was partially successful.

Discussions about moving to Vunidogoloa started in earnest around 2004. A couple of years later, the community reached out to the provincial government for help. They had to wait nearly a decade before the new site, farther inland and higher up, was ready. However, the houses built for relocation had a few drawbacks, such as no kitchen. A separate kitchen was supposed to be built outside each house, but that never happened. Even though the villagers built their kitchens from the remnants of their old homes, they’re still unsteady. Still, the villagers say it’s worth moving because the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

In light of these, Real Research is surveying Fiji’s ‘radical’ strategy to escape rising sea levels to understand the public’s understanding and opinion on the same.

Hence, hurry and answer the survey on Fiji’s plan to escape rising sea levels on the Real Research app from November 13, 2022. After that, you will receive 20 TNCs as a reward.