Family leaves behind 'beautiful' life in Tuvalu amid rising sea levels

Life in Tuvalu is "beautiful," with coconut trees, swimming, fishing, and traditional cultural practices like dancing and language, according to sisters Poeva and Akesa. However, this idyllic existence is under threat as the Pacific nation, home to about 11,000 people spread across nine small islands, is disappearing due to rising sea levels.

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We have coconut trees. When it's hot, they [Tuvaluans] like go swimming, fishing. Cooking the traditional food, the language and the cultural dance, it's very important.

Many Tuvaluans are making the difficult decision to leave their ancestral home. Poeva, 18, and her family moved to Australia for better educational and work opportunities, also seeking greater safety from the impacts of climate change. Akesa, 13, described recent strong winds destroying homes and widespread flooding from sea-level rise, expressing a deep fear of her country vanishing. With its highest point only 4.5 meters above sea level, Tuvalu faces predictions of Funafuti, the capital, being half-flooded by 2050, alongside coastal erosion and crop destruction due to saltwater intrusion.

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My family moved here to Australia for better opportunities, like especially for education and work. Climate change is also affecting Tuvalu, so moving here makes us feel more safer about our future.

Recognizing the existential threat, Tuvalu sought international support, leading to the 2023 Falepili Union agreement with Australia. This pact includes millions in aid for climate adaptation and security, and crucially, a new visa pathway for 280 Tuvaluans to migrate to Australia each year. Last year, over 8,000 of Tuvalu's 11,000 residents applied for these visas.

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Strong winds happened lately and it's destroying our houses and the sea-level rise is, like, flooding everywhere. I don't want to see my country disappear.

Pastor Manu Puafolau, among the first to receive a visa, now lives in regional South Australia. He fondly remembers Tuvalu as a place where "the ocean is our friend," but acknowledges the harsh reality of erosion and sea encroachment. While grateful for his new life in Australia, he and many other Tuvaluans worry about preserving their culture in a new land, emphasizing that "culture is life" and essential for navigating existence.

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Life there [in Tuvalu] is like, the ocean is our friend. Every day we wake up, if you look around, the ocean is just beside you, right or left. Look around, it's all there.