Vanuatu is a South Pacific archipelago of some 83 islands. Its capital, Port Vila, stands on the island of Efate. The country lacks a medical school.
The sea level around Vanuatu has risen by 11-15cm since 1993, according to the country's meteorological service. Coastal erosion is severe: on Nguna, one of the smaller islands just off Efate, locals estimate the shoreline has retreated by about 20 metres in recent decades. A school's football field has been submerged and attempts to build coastal defences have all been washed away. Saltwater intrusion is a growing problem. Vanuatu has declared its own climate emergency but in practical terms it has made little difference; the country lacks resources to deal with a crisis of this magnitude on top of its routine natural disasters, which can include earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and powerful cyclones.
Vanuatu is sponsoring a United Nations resolution on climate change, pressing for financial help based on a 2025 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice that countries can be held liable for their inaction on climate change. America is working to scuttle this motion.
Vanuatu has a complicated system of traditional land ownership, presided over by its Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs, a national body with political clout. The archipelago was historically divided among dozens of tribal groups, each speaking their own language and rarely venturing beyond their own territory. Today there is widespread intermarriage, but relocating communities to escape rising seas can still create tension, as new arrivals are seen as competition for scarce resources.
Robson Tigona of the National University of Vanuatu is the country's leading climate-change expert.
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