APIL will discuss rising ocean levels

Pacific Daily News
June 1, 2010

By Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno
gdumat-ol@guampdn.com

Local lawmakers from across the Pacific will discuss how rising sea levels threaten the very existence of small atoll communities and could be a long-term worry even for bigger islands, such as Guam -- and even Hawaii.

In the past, the members of the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures have tackled cross- jurisdictional concerns, such as establishing tuna cartels, or developing a regional work force pool for the military buildup on Guam.

But this latest APIL concern poses challenges too big for the affected island atolls to tackle.

"Our topic would be on climate change," said J. Kalani English, a local senator in Hawaii and president of APIL, regarding the association's general assembly meeting this week in the tiny island republic of Kiribati.

English stopped on Guam yesterday en route to Kiribati for the group's general assembly.

The meeting venue was selected to underscore the threat rising sea levels pose to tiny islands and atolls in the Pacific. FSM atolls face the same concern, English said.

Over the past 15 years or so, rising sea levels have placed parts of Kirbati's atolls underwater, including homes whose foundations no longer are on dry ground, he said.

"Kiribati is a very, very strong example of what's happening with global warming, what's happening with climate change," he said.

Kiribati has built seawalls, but as the sea claims more of the island republic's scarce land, part of the long-term option Kiribati has to consider is relocation, according to English. Kiribati has considered Australia as a possible relocation, he said.

But island communities bigger than Kiribati, including Guam and Hawaii, can be threatened by rising sea levels too, English said.

For example, if the ocean around Hawaii were to rise three feet, Waikiki would be underwater, he said, quoting a previously released study. That could happen to Guam's Tumon Bay also, he said.

English said one of the goals in talking about climate change is to get developing countries to pay closer attention.

Kiribati is considering asking for an international disaster declaration, he added.

Original article URL: http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201006010300/NEWS01/6010316

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