Yearbook 2007
Tuvalu. According to
CountryAAH, the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases
must compensate Tuvalu for the effects of warming. This was
stated by the country's deputy prime minister, Tavau Teii,
at the UN Climate Summit in New York in September.
Tuvalu is only an average of two meters above sea level
and the islands are disappearing into the sea. According to
some studies, the country is gone in 30-40 years. Tuvalu
signed an agreement in 2001 with New Zealand, which promised
to receive 75 tuvaluans a year threatened by homelessness.
However, the fact that the islands are decomposed depends
not only on global warming but also on human environmental
impact, for example. tree shredding and the removal of sand
from the beaches for use as building material. Tuvalu lacks
fresh water and the residents must therefore store
rainwater.
In his address to the UN, the Deputy Prime Minister said
that Tuvalu should not rely on aid in terms of climate
impact, but that the "large greenhouse gas emissions should
pay for the impact they cause". Tavau Teii suggested that
the money to vulnerable countries like Tuvalu should be
taken from new taxes on air travel and on cargo trips. He
also launched an idea of an international insurance policy
for countries affected by the effects of climate change.
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