In the paradisiaca Tuvalu more than a third of the population has signed up for the same raffle. The prize: flee from the country

In the world there are those who look at the future with pessimism, who does it with distrust and then is the island nation of Tuvalu, who looks at him underwater. Literally. If NASA’s projections give in the nail, in the middle of this same century Much of its territory it will be below the level of the pleamar, a scenario that will be Even worse In 2100. The panorama is so unhappy that the country has just lived an unusual situation: more than a third Of all its inhabitants have registered in a raffle to move thousands of kilometers from there.

Its objective: start from scratch in Australia, free of the threat of the sea.

Goodbye Tuvalu. Tuvalu is a small island nation of Polynesia, halfway between Hawaii and Australia, known for its long beaches and palm trees. For a few days, it is news for something that has little or nothing to do with its paradisiacal landscapes: a surprisingly high percentage of its population, just over a third, has registered in a raffle to get the “First Climate Visa” from the world and move 4,000 kilometers away, to Australia.

A figure: 4.052. The data is eloquent. The deadline to opt for the new visa opened on June 16 and a few days 1,124 applications. If the direct relatives of the applicants are taken into account, including spouses and children, the total number of Tuvaluanos who aspire to make their bags and leave their homeland rises to more than 4,000, according to The data that handles the BBC chain.

It is not bad if several factors are taken into account. First, that the registration period has not yet been closed (it ends in a few weeks) and the number of visas available is very small: only 280 are offered that will be distributed by a random raffle. Another fact that gives a way to the success of the raffle is that according to the official 2022 census in Tuvalu they live a little more than 10,600 peoplewith what they would choose to make the suitcase and move more than a third of its population.

But what exactly do they choose? To climatic visas that allow the beneficiaries to move to Australia and, once there, enjoy a permanent residence permit with the right to work, health care, education, a system of subsidies for studies and care of children and student loans. All this also without renouncing Tuvaluana citizenship. In return those interested just have to register in the draw to opt for any of the visas, pay a small rate (16 dollars) and commit to paying the trip if they are chosen.

“The first agreement of this type”. The visas are not distributed because yes. They are part of a much broader agreement signed by both nations last year, The false unionfor which Canberra promised to help Tuvalu before “Military aggressions”Pandemics or natural disasters. In addition (and this is one of the most interesting measures) Australia assumed the concession of 280 annual visas with the right to permanent residence that would be distributed by raffle.

“This is the first agreement of this type in the world, it offers a way for mobility with dignity as the impacts of climate change worsen,” stands out The Australian Foreign Ministry.

A paradise that makes waters. Tuvalu is a small paradise in the middle of the Pacific formed by reef and atolls, with very long beaches and a capricious geography. His future however is dark. The nation sinks. Literally. A while ago NASA published A report That demonstrates that the sea level has risen almost 15 centimeters throughout the last three decades and that, if nothing changes, the water will continue to rise several millimeters every year, gradually limiting the coast of the islands. In a few decades the process could even accelerate.

Perhaps a few millimeters do not seem much, but Tuvalu has a peculiarity: in its territory there is no point that protrudes more than six meters On sea level, which leaves it in a delicate situation as climate change progresses. NASA Calculate That in 2050 “much of its earth’s surface” will be below the pleamar, including “critical facilities.” Other forecasts They go further and point out that in 2100 90% of the country will submerge regularly in the ocean, complicating life in the area.

“It’s not an option”. The panorama is so complicated that Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo speaks without half inks of what future the island nation faces. “Internal relocation is not an option. We are totally stagnant. There is no option to move inside or higher areas because there are no higher areas,” I recognized Recently at the UN Conference of the UN of Nice.

Australia appears as a possibility on the horizon, although with its pros and cons. “For many, especially for young families, it will represent an opportunity for education. For the government of Tuvalu, the new visa also seeks to boost the economy,” Reflect in The conversation Jane Mcadam, from the UNSW Sydney, after remembering that the money remittances that emigrants send to their countries of origin are already a key part of the GDP of nations such as Samoa or Tonga. The problem is that this exodus could also advise the complicated future of Tuvalu, subtracting labor from its economy.

Images | 總統府 (Flickr) and Michael Coghlan (Flickr)

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