Climate Change 11 - Tuvalu Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon
Climate Change 11 - Tuvalu
An island nation consisting of
three reef islands and six atolls,
measures twenty six square kilometres
eleven thousand men live in villages
clinging to a narrow strip of land
all victims of climate change,
as sea level continues to rise
they are running out of time.
It is a matter of time before
all the nine little pieces of
the tiny Pacific island state
is swallowed by the sea.
The people of Tuvalu want
the state's identity to continue
even after the land of the nation
is submerged fully or partially,
its maritime boundaries are
not changed by sea level rise,
and its sovereignty be
recognised as permanent.
A beautiful pearl reclaimed by the sea...this is such a moving verse, Unnikrishnan. May some of the beauty remain for all to see.
The United Nations and the entire international community should join together to grant a few sq km of land to the Tuvalu people to settle, on the Australian coast closer to their present habitat.
Tuvalu is a sparkling pearl from the ocean. Inhabited for over a millennium. But, it is now feared that it will vanish under water in fifty years.
That's my home country Tuvalu. Thank you this is beautiful
I am elated to be acquainted with you, dear poet.
Climate change and the consequences are here. They are a reality
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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8/29/2026 9:43:43 AM # rel_20260827T145718Z_a0f1bd3
Australia has permitted a few hundreds of migrants from Tuvalu to enter (and live) in Australia. This, I think causes the Tuvalu population to scatter across Australia.