"Australia will help island state Tuvalu raise funds to protect coasts from rising seas, testing a novel U.N. programme for adaptation".
"OSLO - Fearing "horrific" risks from a rising ocean that could swamp low-lying islands, the Pacific nation of Tuvalu aims to reinforce its coasts in a novel partnership with Australia aimed at helping the developing island state adapt to climate change.
The project will test a new U.N. blueprint under which one rich nation takes responsibility for raising funds to enable a climate-vulnerable country to roll out measures to cope better with heatwaves, floods, storms, droughts and rising seas.
Tom Mitchell, executive director of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), said the plans marked a "fresh look at adaptation" after years of under-funded policies with no clear steer from governments.
Tuvalu, a chain of nine atolls midway between Australia and Hawaii, has a highest point of only about 4.5 metres (15 feet) and is among the countries most at risk from rising sea levels as global warming melts ice from Greenland to Antarctica."
Alister Doyle profile picture
Alister Doyle reports for Thomson Reuters September 21, 2023.
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