When queried about how many islands there were in her archipelago, the delegate of the Philippines to the 1994 Ms. Universe beauty pageant came back with a question of her own: “High tide or low tide?” Now, that was one memorable answer that may or may not have cost her the title, depending on who you ask.
In light of the effects of climate change sitting like a thousand bombs with travel alarm clocks for timers, the high tide or low tide reply is no laughing matter today. Many island-nations are in great jeopardy of sinking under rising sea levels brought by, what else, climate change.
So, before these countries sink like the Titanic, better get your passport holder out and take a vacation there!
Tuvalu
The world’s fourth smallest country, Tuvalu may well become a non-existent country in 50 years, if and when the rate of climate change keeps up its pace. Then the world can say bye-bye to splendid lagoons, atolls, coral reefs and islands of this South Seas paradise!
With its highest elevation at just 4.5 meters over sea level, even a small tsunami can wipe out Tuvalu off the map. In fact, regular flooding is an accepted lifestyle here but fast-rising seas are another matter entirely.
And even its government is aware of this fact. It has made arranegements with New Zealand to grant 75 Tuvalu citizens environmental refugee status every year. Think of it as slowly but surely ensuring that the Tuvalu genes be passed on for many more generations to come albeit in a faraway land.
Maldives
Possibly at greater risk than Tuvalu is the Indian Ocean paradise of the Maldives. Its highest elevation is a mere 2.4 meters over sea level, which means that relatively small changes in sea level can erase much of the Maldives. In fact, even unusually high tides have wiped out huge areas of land and, in the process, wiping out crops and fouling the water supply!
Maldives is the type of Robinson Crusoe islands where time seems to have stood still. But if the effects of sudden climate change manifest in the island-paradise, there will come a time when it is just a memory in time.
The moral of the story: Please do your role in preserving the environment. Many people half a world away needs our enlightened awareness and positive action to ensure that many more generations will enjoy their island paradise. And that means your travel alarm clocks can also see some action there!