In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Hawaii, there is a tiny country that is currently facing an enormous and peculiar battle. That country is Tuvalu – a sovereign United Nations member state, constituted by nine atolls and around ten thousand people. Tuvalu’s core problem at the moment is a screaming one, unknown for most countries — it is sinking. And projections point out it might be fully submerged before the end of the 21st century.
This threatening reality is happening due to rising sea levels. Floods are becoming more and more common for Tuvaluans, and many of them are already fleeing to neighbouring countries, like Australia and New Zealand, holding the rather tragic status of “climate refugees.” In November 2021, Tuvalu’s foreign minister, Simon Kofe, made headlines worldwide after his COP26 speech, in which he appeared standing knee-deep on sea waters. The world was shocked, but acted little. One year later, Mr. Kofe announced that Tuvalu was set to become “the world’s first digital nation,” as the Tuvaluan government was taking over a project of replicating the country in the metaverse. As the project’s official website nostalgically states: “By recreating its land, archiving its culture, and digitising its government, Tuvalu can exist as a nation even after its land is no more.”
The idea of replicating a whole country on the metaverse may sound very interesting and groundbreaking. However, considering Tuvalu’s particular case, it is also Malthusian. While the project certainly lays on good intentions, it does not prevent the country from disappearing and implies that it is, indeed, doomed to sink in the near future. However, just like Thomas Malthus was proven wrong after predicting that the exponential growth of population would lead to the world’s collapse, the predictions on Tuvalu’s sinking may also be underestimating the power of innovation, human creativity, and technological development.
Fortunately, the Tuvaluan authorities have been exploring alternative ways to save the country, and recent developments are pointing to a more promising path. November 2024 brought good news – the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP), funded by the Green Climate Fund and Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has officially handed over 7.3 hectares of reclaimed land to the Government of Tuvalu.
Opting to invest in reclaimed land is a great step forward against the Malthusian idea that foresees Tuvalu’s disappearance by 2100, and there are more options that should be considered. Throughout history, numerous countries have found ways of curbing the rise of sea levels and protecting its physical existence. The Netherlands and Japan are known for their advanced dike systems, which has been preventing floods not for decades, but for centuries. Two of Singapore’s main tourist attractions – the Marina Bay and Sentosa Cove – are built on reclaimed land. Several countries already have functioning artificial islands, like Dubai, with its highly visually recognizable Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali islands. In addition, some nations are working on ongoing projects for floating cities – such as Japan, with Dogen City, Saudi Arabia with Oxagon, or South Korea with OCEANIX Busan.
Saving Tuvalu is still possible, as innovation is demonstrating the sky is the limit. Nevertheless, sustainability should be taken into account. Tuvaluan authorities should focus on doing the most to maintain their country’s physical existence, but they cannot solely rely on international funds. Due to its limited financial and natural resources, it is crucial for Tuvalu to attract private investment, especially from entities who can be interested in developing projects like the ones mentioned above. Here are a few tips on how they can do it:
- First of all, by making itself known: Tuvalu remains widely unknown to the rest of the world, and that includes remaining unknown for investors. Thus, investing in a bold and targeted communication and Nation Branding strategy can be beneficial. Such a strategy can include more shocking stunts, such as the one that was very well done by Simon Kofe at COP26, but also research on potential features or partnerships with organizations, media outlets and even influencers or celebrities who can be interesting in raising awareness to the issue.
- Considering applying a citizenship/residence by investment system: Tuvalu currently does not have any citizenship/residence by investment programs but such should be considered. Many countries, in every continent, possess Golden Visa programs or facilitate residency and even citizenship for individuals who provide significant investments. These include five Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia) – which, like Tuvalu, are tiny and relatively unknown islands – that actually hand out passports through investment, sometimes in a matter of months.
- Making the most of its “.tv” domain: Tuvalu’s official ISO country code happens to be “.tv”, generating an immediate association with “television.” And, in fact, the country has been using it in its favour. In the late 1990’s, the Tuvaluan government signed agreements with international partners to market and manage the domain. Until 2021, Tuvalu earned $5 million per year due to an agreement which allowed the network infrastructure firm Verisign to administrate the domain. A new agreement with GoDaddy allows annual revenues of $10 million.The more these revenues grow, the better.
This is, of course, just a small set of ideas that can pave the way towards a brighter future for Tuvalu. Nevertheless, the key issue is: Tuvalu must put itself on the map not to be wiped out of it — literally.
* Beatriz Santos is the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) at We Are Innovation. She is based in Lisbon, Portugal. Beatriz started publishing articles through her University newspaper and eventually moved to national and international reach outlets, including the well known Portuguese outlets NOVO and Observador. Her professional career includes international communications experience with the ATREVIA agency and the European Parliament. She also has two published books and is an essential part of the Students For Liberty organization in Portugal. With a focus on positive change and global cooperation, Beatriz actively seeks partnerships across the globe to promote innovative initiatives.
Source: We Are Innovation
