Archaeologists estimate that the I-Kiribati have been living on their islands in the central Pacific Ocean for 2,000 years.
Archaeologists estimate that the I-Kiribati have been living on their islands in the central Pacific Ocean for 2,000 years. Former President Anote Tong estimates that they have less than a hundred years to find a new home. Because of the islands’ structure, Kiribati—along with the Marshall Islands and the Maldives—is in a group of nations that are particularly vulnerable to the rising seas, king tides, and intensifying storms occurring as a result of climate change, Tong said in a conversation with Slate journalist Joshua Keating.
The virtual talk on Monday, Sept. 14, was part of Perry World House’s Global Shifts Colloquium, “Seeking Refuge in the Climate Emergency.” The two-day event also featured a conversation on Tuesday, Sept. 15, between former U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and CNN analyst Samantha Vinograd about climate change’s effect on national security. Both Tong and Hagel were recently named Perry World House (PWH) visiting fellows for 2020-2021. The colloquium’s final event with the United Nation’s Patricia Espinosa was postponed to Sept. 23.
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