Abstract

Tuvalu, Kiribati and many other Pacifi c Islands: will they still exist in 100 years? It is diffi cult to say. Due to climate change and sea level rise, these poor islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean are facing the threat of disappearing. This is why they are becoming a sort of «climate change laboratory» and a possible source of thousands and thousands of climate refugees. «We are facing the consequences of what others are doing» Maria Timon, a young woman from Kiribati, says, calling for major decisions from industrialized countries. The time for acting is running out. Many people are working in the islands to improve the protection against climate change. But will it work?