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Place in News: Vanuatu
From dying reefs to flooded graves, Vanuatu is leading a global climate case
Context: Vanuatu faces an existential threat from climate change, with dying coral reefs, severe coastal erosion, and intensifying extreme weather. As the ICJ prepares a landmark advisory opinion on climate obligations, Vanuatu’s plight underscores the urgent need for global action.
Vanuatu’s Climate Emergency
- Rising Sea Levels: Vanuatu’s seas are rising at 6 mm/year—faster than the global average—with tectonic activity doubling the rate in some areas.
- Extreme Weather: Intensifying cyclones, saltwater intrusion, and coastal erosion are displacing communities.
- Food Insecurity: Rural farmers like Kaltang Laban face crop losses (bananas, cassava, taro) due to cyclones, threatening 70% of the population reliant on subsistence farming.
About Vanuatu
- Official Name: Republic of Vanuatu
- Region: Melanesian archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean (Lowest point).
- Archipelago: 83 islands, 65 inhabited
- Islands extend in a north-south direction for ~400 miles (650 km), forming an irregular Y-shape.
- Capital: Port Vila, located on the southern coast of Efate Island in Shefa Province.
- National Language: Bislama (a Creole language), other languages include English and French.
- Currency: Vatu (VUV)
- Location: East of Australia, north of New Zealand, and between Australia and Fiji.
- Vanuatu comprises 13 principal islands and over 70 smaller islands, many of which are volcanic in origin and some still active.
- It lies on the Ring of Fire, making it geologically active with frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
- Active Volcanoes: Sere’ama (Vanua Lava), Monaro (Aoba), Garet (Santa Maria), Benbow and Marum (Ambrym), Yasur (Tanna).
- Highest point: Mount Tabwémasana (1,879 m) on Espiritu Santo
- Vanuatu is a member of international forums like the Pacific Islands Forum and the United Nations.
- Historical Context: A former Anglo-French condominium (New Hebrides), Vanuatu gained independence in 1980.
