ATOLLS in the Marshall Islands will be raised 45-60 centimetres in an attempt to combat sea level rise.
The project is expected to cost $USD35 billion.
Marshall Islands’ Climate Change Coordinator, Bear Salomon, said the initiative reflected the desire of the Marshallese people to remain on their islands.
Under a National Adaptation Plan, islanders want to protect at least four pieces of land against two meters of sea-level rise by 2070.
“We will try our best to go more than four atolls, but by that time, four pieces of land against two meters of sea level rise,” Salomon said.
“Our National Adaptation Plan is our survival plan. It’s the blueprint which aligns climate adaptation efforts and actions throughout all sectors with each stakeholder in the RMI.
“This is transformational in a way that its efficacy relied on a bottom-to-top approach prior to its development and during its development.”
The plan was shaped through consultations across 15 atolls and neighbouring islands, engaging 1362 people, about 3% of the national population, over 123 days.
“The results of these community engagements showed us that the people of RMI strongly wish to continue living in their homelands instead of migrating,” Salomon said.