Australia Offers Visa Grant To Tuvalu Citizens Affected Of Climate Change

(Photo : Getty Images/Mario Tam)

As part of a historic deal, Australia has offered refuge to those impacted by the climate crisis in Tuvalu.

Tuvalu has 11,200 residents and has nine low-lying islands that make up the central Pacific nation, which is roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii.

Visa To Australia

The new visas will be awarded to up to 280 people every year, allowing them to live, work, and study in Australia.

This is the first time Australia has offered residency to foreign nationals due to the threat of climate change.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the new agreement "groundbreaking" and said the day would be remembered as historic because it recognized Australia as a member of the Pacific family.

He stated that the bilateral partnership between the two countries was initiated at Tuvalu's request.

The Falepili Union accord is named after the Tuvaluan phrase meaning the traditional ideals of good neighborliness, caring, and mutual respect.

Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano stated that the new agreement honored both countries' sovereignty and pledged each country to assist the other in dealing with concerns such as climate change.

Australia has also agreed to defend the Pacific nation from military aggression under the terms of the agreement.

Tuvalu has vowed not to enter into defense treaties with other countries unless Australia approves.

"This partnership stands as a beacon of hope, signifying not just a milestone but a giant leap forward in our joint mission to ensure regional stability, sustainability and prosperity," Natano said.

Australia's new agreement with Tuvalu is part of a larger landmark accord that will improve bilateral ties and challenge China's influence in the area.

Climate Crisis

Tuvalu is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to the disastrous effects of the climate crisis caused by increasing sea levels.

This year, NASA's Sea Level Change Team estimated that much of Tuvalu's land and essential infrastructure will fall below the present high tide level by 2050.

The study discovered that by the end of the century, Tuvalu would have more than 100 days of flooding every year.

"Sea level impacts beyond flooding - like saltwater intrusion - will become more frequent and continue to worsen in severity in the coming decades," the team's report found.

Albanese also stated that Australia would increase funding for Tuvalu's Coastal Adaptation Project, which intends to increase land around the main island of Funafuti by around 6% in order to keep Tuvaluans in their country.

Canberra will contribute at least $350 million in climate infrastructure for the region.

Tuvalu amended its constitution in September to state that its sovereignty would be perpetual, even if the effects of climate change or other disasters resulted in the loss of its physical territory.

As rising sea levels threaten to destroy the tiny Pacific Island nation, it also aims to develop a digital version of itself, recreating islands and monuments and conserving its history and culture.

In January, it pledged to create a digital duplicate of itself in the metaverse in order to preserve its history and culture.