Globally Unassisted Tuvaluans Affected by Climate Changes: Official Documents, Human Rights and the "No Future"?

Abstract

In theoretical and empirical terms, the climate change is seen in the current study as a set of themes containing the perspective of "coming to occur in a near future". However, thinking about the Island State of Tuvalu as a possible illustrative example of the direct occurrence of climate change adds a new analytical perspective to the existing literature, because the inversion from "coming to occur" to "is occurring" may change the resolution focus and give visibility to the affected ones. The aim of the current study is to reflect about the Tuvaluan climate change case based on literature review and documentary research and anchored on Political Theory and Sociology authors who use citizenship, human rights and sovereignty as research themes. It is concluded that Tuvalu illustrates the understanding of climate change and is a probable case of "non-future" for the unassisted ones.

Sovereignty, society and human rights: Theorising society and human survival in times of global crisis

“…As signatories of international climate agreements, states are the principal sovereign bodies tasked with responding to this crisis and there is much room for decoupling in relation to the Paris Agreement, which remains a non-binding, ‘voluntary’ agreement (Chomsky, 2020: 21). Inadequate state pledges to reduce emissions could potentially lead not only to the breakdown of societies other than their own, as Braga and Lanza (2016: 187) observe in relation to the State Island of Tuvalu. Scientists increasingly warn of a ‘climate emergency’ (Ripple et al, 2020) and threats to ‘civilization’ (Lenton et al, 2019: 592).…”

Climate Challenges of Small Island Developing States: Cases of Tuvalu, Seychelles and Barbados

“…Next to the climate change Tuvalu is also in danger due to bad management of liquid waste, pollution, lack of fertile soil and drinking water. Thanx to the La Niña phenomenon, which affects the entire area due to abnormal rise of sea levels and rainy seasons, Tuvalu is facing with intense floods as well [16].…”

“…We need to stress how small states like Tuvalu do not have any autonomy in managing the climate change due to the fact it is a global problem, which mostly depends on the policies of developed states. With the aim to put pressure on permanent members of the UN's Security Council, states which are affected by the climate change express their claims in documents and speeches on climate change [16]. In that manner, during the Copenhagen summit in the December of 2009 Tuvalu demonstrated its political activism by claiming the legally bounding agreements and more aggressive action, which many of the vulnerable states, from small island to sub-Saharan states, supported.…”