As rising sea levels continue to threaten the sinking nation of Tuvalu, Australia has welcomed the first group of climate migrants.
The first climate migrants to leave Tuvalu have touched down in Australia, ready to begin a new life as part of a landmark treaty.
Situated in the South Pacific, Tuvalu is one of the countries at greatest risk from climate change due to the worsening threat of rising sea levels. Scientists predict that 95 per cent of the nation – which comprises nine palm-fringed reef islands and coral atolls – will be underwater at high tide by the year 2100.
Two of its coral atolls have already almost disappeared beneath the waves, as human-caused climate change melts frozen parts of the world and heats the ocean, causing it to expand and rise.
Australia’s climate change visa
More than one-third of Tuvalu’s 11,000 population applied for an unprecedented climate visa scheme under a deal struck with Australia two years ago.
The Falepili Mobility Pathway, which came into force on 28 August last year, is designed to support “mobility with dignity” for Tuvaluans - allowing them to live, work and study in their larger neighbour.
The intake is capped at 280 visas annually to prevent the mass emigration of highly-trained or qualified people whose skills are still required in Tuvalu.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Euronews Green that the first Tuvaluan families started to arrive in Australia last month, with more people slated to arrive in the coming months.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong welcomed the news, stating: "The Pathway reflects the deep trust between our two countries, and we look forward to the contributions Tuvaluans will make to Australian society."
Meet Australia’s first climate migrants from Tuvalu
Among the first Tuvaluan who arrived in Australia is Dr Masina Matolu, a dentist and dental surgeon who completed her undergraduate degree in Fiji and post-graduate degree in New Zealand.
She plans to move to Darwin, where her brother lives, with her husband and three children. She hopes to work with Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
“I’m really excited to go [to Australia] to help out the people: to serve, to alleviate suffering and pain,” Dr Matolu says.
“It’s a great opportunity. I can always bring whatever I learn from Australia back to my home country to help.”
Kitai Haulapi, a forklift driver who became the first female in Tuvalu to operate a forklift, will also come to Australia to reconnect with her family in Melbourne.
She is working with the Falepili Mobility Pathway pre-departure support service to find a job and plans to send money back home to her family in Tuvalu.
“The wages are very good, and it would enable me to support my family and contribute positively to our nation back home,” she says.
Manipua Puafolau arrived in Australia on 22 November. He is a pastor in training for Te Ekalesia Kelsiano Tuvalu, the nation’s most prominent church. Puafolau plans to settle down in Naracoore, where he has been invited by a small community of PALM workers, who hire workers for jobs in agriculture, food processing, and other sectors where there are labour gaps.
“For the people migrating to Australia, it’s not only for their physical and economic wellbeing, but also calls for spiritual guidance,” he says. “One of the great opportunities that must be maintained is the spiritual life of the Tuvaluan people.”
