Pacific Islands Could Face Food and Water Shortages Due to Global Warming

Scientists gathered at a summit of Pacific leaders in Palau on Wednesday and shared alarming news. They said that Pacific island nations could soon face serious shortages of food and clean drinking water. The main cause, they explained, is global warming — the slow rise in Earth's temperatures caused by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

A major report from the United Nations Environment Programme, also called UNEP, was released at the same time. It found that the world is on track to warm by 1.8 degrees Celsius above levels from before the industrial age. That is higher than the 1.5-degree limit that world leaders agreed to aim for in a deal called the Paris Agreement. Scientists say even that small extra amount of warming can cause big problems for island nations.

One of the biggest worries is what will happen to fish. Andrew Jones, a top official from The Pacific Community, said that tuna will swim away from Pacific island waters and move east as the ocean warms. Since Pacific islands catch one-third of the world's tuna, losing those fish would be a huge blow. Coastal fishers who supply food to local families could lose up to 65 percent of their catch.

Jones explained what losing that much fish really means for everyday families. "That's about two meals per family per week that is not on the plate — of clean, free healthy protein that will need to be replaced," he said. Scientists also warned that the region could lose about $90 million in fishing fees, which is around 13 percent of government income for many island nations. They called this a potential "economic crisis."

Rising seas also threaten the supply of fresh drinking water on the islands. As ocean water rises, salt water can seep into underground water sources, making them unsafe to drink. Stronger and more frequent floods are also expected, which can destroy homes and force people to leave their islands. Taken together, these changes could make it very hard for people to keep living on low-lying islands.

Leaders from several Pacific island countries spoke out at the summit. Maina Talia, the climate minister for Tuvalu — an island nation so flat that some parts could be swallowed by the ocean — said the climate crisis "is real now, it is here now." Marshall Islands climate envoy Tina Stege said, "We are fighting against a very strong current that is sweeping us into very dangerous waters." These leaders are calling on wealthier, more powerful countries to take stronger action.

Vanuatu's climate minister Ralph Regenvanu pointed a finger at Australia, one of the world's biggest exporters of coal and natural gas. He said Australia needs to stop expanding its fossil fuel sales because those fuels are driving the climate crisis. "Australia is not doing enough," he said. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by saying his country's shift to cleaner energy "can't happen overnight" and added that gas still has a role to play. He also said, "We all need to do more."