By AFP -Agence France Presse
Australia considers 'retreat' from sea rise in Cocos Islands
The Australian government has proposed removing hundreds of residents from its islands within decades as sea levels rise, sparking outrage among inhabitants.
Like many island nations, the Cocos Islands - a group of 27 small atolls that lie 2,936 kilometers (1,824 miles) west of Australia - are increasingly threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels caused by climate change.
The federal government's proposal, made public in January, suggests that residents, water resources, power stations, roads, and stores be relocated over the next 10 to 50 years.
This “long-term managed retreat” is the most “viable option to protect lives in a socially, economically and environmentally respectful way”, says the report.
Government projections show that by 2030, sea levels could rise by 18 centimeters (seven inches) along the Cocos Islands compared to 1992 levels.
Many of the 600 residents there are descendants of Malaysian workers brought to the islands to work on the coconut plantations in the 1830s.
The British colonized the islands in 1857 before sovereignty of the territory was transferred to Australia in 1955.
The chief executive of the Shire of Cocos Island, Frank Mills, said he was “disappointed” that the government had refused to explore long-term climate mitigation strategies that would allow people to remain on the island forever.
“It's disappointing, and we're going to do what we can to challenge the Commonwealth and their worldviews,” he told AFP.
This could include legal action, he added.
Many people have been on Cocos Island for three or five generations, and the decision to leave would not be easy for them, Mills said.
“This is not a decision you make overnight.”
“Everything is involved in that decision: where would they go? Generations of people are buried on Home Island - would they be relocated to a suitable site on the mainland?” said Mills.
A government spokesman said the proposal had not yet been finalized and was open for community consultation.
The Cocos Islands are just one of many low-lying island nations forced to contemplate their future, said Wesley Morgan, a member of the non-profit Climate Council.
Last year, Australia offered a historic treaty with the Pacific nation of Tuvalu to offer residents the right to live in Australia if rising seas flood their homeland.
Meanwhile, Fiji has been relocating communities to higher ground since 2014.
“Australia must do everything it can so that the people who have lived on these islands for many generations can stay there and maintain their culture in their homelands,” said Morgan.
This includes cutting emissions and transitioning away from coal and gas, he added.
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined with a high degree of confidence that global average sea levels have risen at rates not seen in at least 3,000 years, driven by human-induced climate change.
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