Tuvalu Turns to Metaverse as Rising Seas Threaten Its Existence
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Tuvalu is an island state measuring 30 square kilometers, in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean. The country was expected to disappear because of rising sea levels caused by climate change.The Polynesian state of Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean is planning to recreate itself online so that it can continue to function digitally as a state even if it is inundated by rising sea levels caused by global warming, Tuvalu’s minister for justice, communication, and foreign affairs, Simon Kofe, said.“As our land disappears, we have no choice but to become the world’s first digital nation. Our land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of our people. And to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world, we’ll move them to the cloud,” Kofe said at the COP27 climate summit.Kofe noted that the creation of a virtual copy is also a matter of sovereignty, since statehood and maritime borders will be preserved forever, despite the loss of land through climate change and rising sea levels.He said that Tuvalu has been working on the virtual existence initiative for a year. The minister warned that if urgent measures are not taken, the whole world will have to resort to existing online together with his country.He also called on all the world’s countries to take steps to counteract global warming.At last year’s UN Climate Conference (COP26), held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November 2021, Kofe recorded a video message standing knee-deep in water to emphasize how desperate the situation was.The United Nations Climate Change Conference – or COP27 as it is better known – is taking place in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh from 6 to 18 November.
