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- 1 Experts believe if all the ice caps melt, global sea levels may rise by up to 70 meters.
- 2 Several Tuvaluans are not in favor of leaving the land.
The havocking climate crisis threatens the survival of several small island nations. A recent example succumbing to the environmental perils is Tuvalu, an island nation within the British Commonwealth in the South Pacific Ocean. A British daily newspaper, The Guardian, reported that the country is turning to the metaverse to mitigate the risks of the land being lost to worsening climate.
Tuvaluans Don’t Want to Learn Through Metaverse
According to The Guardian, Tuvalu might become the first digital nation to exist in the metaverse. Reports highlight that Funafuti, the nation’s capital, may become entirely uninhabitable by the year 2100. Current inhabitants are striving to survive amid the changing climate’s direct impact over the supply of food, energy and drinking water.
Several Tuvaluans are not in favor of leaving the land. The government is already working on reclaiming the land through its Tuvalu Coastal Adoption Project. The program has received $36 Million funding from Green Climate Fund (GCF), an initiative by the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change, and $2.9 Million co-financing from its government.
In September 2020, Kausea Natano, Prime Minister of Tuvalu, said, “While COVID-19 is our immediate crisis, climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the Pacific and its peoples in the long run.”
Additionally, The Guardian also highlights the country has formulated the Future Now Project, a cluster of three initiatives to fight climate change including, one being the development of the country’s digital twin. Tuvalu authorities are testing augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) use cases to preserve its culture.
According to Tuvalu’s minister for justice, communications and foreign affairs, Simon Kofe, “If we have a displaced government or population dispersed across the globe, we would have a framework in place to ensure that we continue to coordinate ourselves, continue to deliver our services, manage our natural resources in our waters and all our sovereign assets.”
In 2021, Simon Kofe attended the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) standing knee deep in ocean waters. Last year, his COP27 address was recorded in a digital twin of Te Afualiku, a small island in the Funafuti. He told The Guardian that a few metaverse companies approached him after his COP27 statement.
However, residents are not in favor of learning about their culture through the metaverse. An inhabitant who works with an environment-focused organization, said that “Personally, I don’t want to learn my culture from technology, from a metaverse, I want to learn it physically, on the land where I grew up.”
Melting Ice Caps May Flood Coastal Cities
Melting ice caps in the Antarctic and Greenland are a primary cause leading to rising sea levels. Data provided by NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) GRACE and GRACE Follow-on satellites shows how the glaciers have melted throughout the years.
Both the regions account for nearly two-third of the Earth’s fresh water. Experts believe if all the ice caps melt, global sea levels may rise by up to 70 meters, flooding all the coastal regions across the world. A report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2021 warned that the Arctic Sea ice may decline below 1 Million km2.
Virtual reality has become an enticing technology for environment-conservation activists. A recent study highlighted how it can help offset carbon emissions from the tourism industry. Greenhouse gasses are a major contributor to rising global temperature. Experts believe a 3 degree increase would wreak devastating effects worldwide.
Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.
