Australia Pledges to Aid Tuvalu Residents Displaced by Climate Change

In a groundbreaking agreement, Australia will allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to migrate annually, acknowledging the existential threat posed by climate change to the low-lying Pacific nation.

Australia has pledged to aid Tuvalu residents displaced by climate change, offering a lifeline to help them escape the rising seas and increased storms. The agreement will initially allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to migrate to Australia each year.
The agreement, known as the Falepili Union, is based on the Tuvaluan word for the traditional values of good neighborliness, care, and mutual respect. It was requested by Tuvalu and marks a significant day in which Australia acknowledged its part of the Pacific family.
Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano expressed appreciation for Australia's commitment, stating that the partnership stands as a beacon of hope and a giant leap forward in ensuring regional stability, sustainability, and prosperity.
NASA’s Sea Level Change Team has assessed that much of Tuvalu’s land and critical infrastructure would sit below the level of the current high tide by 2050, experiencing more than 100 days of flooding each year. If all Tuvaluans decided to take up Australia on its offer, it would take about 40 years for Tuvalu’s entire population to relocate to Australia.
Australia will also add more funding to Tuvalu’s Coastal Adaptation Project, which aims to expand land around the main island of Funafuti by about 6% to help try and keep Tuvaluans on their homeland. The Australian government will provide assistance in response to a major natural disaster, health pandemic, or military aggression.

South China Morning Post