Dear Editor
Our islands are fighting a natural fight which only, we the people of Solomon Islands can help winning the fight and it is against sea level raise. I urge the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology of the government of Solomon Islands to ensure environmental needs of the people is protected. There are many important things in life but our islands, the most important of all, in fact I would say "the source of life" because for us Solomon Islanders our islands is where life, culture, tradition, genealogy, identity and all means necessary for survival begins.
Solomon Islands consist of chain of dot islands on the world map in the middle of the vast beautiful Pacific Ocean and like any other small Pacific island nation, sea level rise is a major threat and may be even worse in the long- run. In all the nine provinces of Solomon Islands, including the main islands, almost all coastal villages suffered from coastal erosion and flooding caused by sea level raise. Research shows that the sea has risen three times the global average which is around 7-10 mm per year since 1993 in the Solomon Islands. If our big islands even fall victim to the impact of sea level rise, then our low lying islands experienced even more dramatic events. Two of the major impacts altered by sea level rise includes, fresh water and soil intrusion by salt water. Moreover, the future risk is more than just that but a horrific scene if we lose our islands. I think it is time for us to protect our islands from the rising sea.
The government through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology should be alarmed by this issue and do something about it, because sea level rise could be the most sensitive issue in our country, in the near future.
I would like to urge the good people of Solomon Islands especially those who are living in low lying islands to keep building sea walls. To those who are living in the mountainous islands, moving inward to higher ground is not the solution. We have to protect our islands, people, land resources and our culture from the rising sea.
Sea level rise threatens coastal communities in Solomon Islands
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this letter are those of Bradley George Nukumuna and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Solomon Times Online.
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