I was recently in Tuvalu reporting a story for National Geographic about climate migration. The country’s average elevation is about two meters above sea level. Scientists forecast that by 2050, 50 percent of Funafuti, Tuvalu’s capital where more than half of the country’s population lives, will become flooded by rising tides.
Since I returned, I can’t stop thinking about the irony that Tuvalu itself has one of the smallest per-capita carbon footprints on the planet. It is the victim of a crisis it did little to help produce. The question, in my mind, is: What responsibility does the US (and our polluting peers) have to the Tuvalus of the world?
The idea of climate reparations may sound unrealistic, but the argument in this week’s article is compelling. Holding countries like the US responsible for the damage caused by their emissions might be the best hope for saving vulnerable nations like Tuvalu—and also for saving themselves.
Here’s the piece: What America Owes the Planet
Warmly,
Simo
P.S. The song of the week is the groovy winner of NPR’s 2024 Tiny Desk Concert Contest. The full songs of the week playlist is here.