DON'T MESS WITH TUVALU
By Andrew Simms

This is a version of an article that appeared in the Weekend Section of the Financial Times, February 2002

Long forgotten promises are coming true in the Pacific nation of Tuvalu, even if they were made mistakenly. In 1866 an unfortunate early Victorian missionary went to the island of Nanumea, part of Tuvalu, intending to 'turn the islanders from heathenism to Christianity.' Sloppy translation meant he actually promised to 'turn the island upside down'. Horrified islanders believed him and he was chased off the island at spear point.
Today a combination of climate change and orthodox development are finally delivering on the missionary's inadvertent pledge.

Arriving by air is an inescapable contradiction if you've come to investigate the impact of global warming - air travel is one of the fastest growing contributors to climate change. But seeing the fragile strip of land from above helps you appreciate just how astonishingly vulnerable many small island nations are.

Tuvalu's only recent boost was winning the lottery of the internet age with the '.tv' domain name, earning A$30 million to date. Funafuti is the main centre of population and administration. Down by the edge of its near perfect lagoon local woman Seinati Telaui sits talking about the dilemma facing the people of Tuvalu. "Climate change is one of the driving forces making people migrate. Even though they want to stay in this free and beautiful life, parents are planning for their children. They see there is no future," says Seinati, "The oldies say that they are just going to sit here and wait until the sea drowns them. They can't leave their country. There's no other country they want to go to." 

Paani Laupepa is an official in the environment department who drew international attention to the island's plight. Most sensitively, he talked about the government's approaches to Australia and New Zealand. They were asked to consider precautionary plans allowing for the gradual relocation of Tuvalu's population.

When I phoned Paani's office to confirm our meeting he wasn't there. He'd taken the day off to celebrate his individual island's festive day. Tuvalu is made up of eight different inhabited islands stretched over nearly 600km of sea, settled around 2000 years ago by Polynesians. Tuvaluan's first loyalty is to their home island. Before I could worry about arrangements falling apart, the voice on the phone interrupted, "Can I help instead, I am the Environment Minister." 

The Minister wouldn't talk about Tuvalu's plans for people to leave because of their political sensitivity. The island was rebuffed by Australia, but the regional giant is still a major aid donor and politicians are reluctant to be critical. Ironically Australia asked Tuvalu to accept its own unwanted refugees. 

Although guarded, the Minister wasn't too busy. He closed the office, took the afternoon off and drove me around the island on its expensive new roads, being laid by foreign contractors. At some points the small administrative island, Funafuti, is so thin that the new road is almost as wide as the island, with just a few forlorn coconut palms sprouting either side. Paradise really is being paved. One end of the road finishes at a fetid rubbish tip. Development and the building of a wartime runway strip finished off the garden agriculture of Taro and other vegetables that fed people. Since then most food and supplies are imported and bring with them piles of waste.