Discovering the Key to the World

I was a Peace Corps Volunteer on one of the outer islands of Kiribati from 2001-2004. While I certainly can’t claim that everything was perfect in the country during my time there, I can say that the people and their beloved island home charmed me. Life in Kiribati is simple and slow–measured not in minutes, but in the comings and goings of the tide. That same tide that marks when it is time to fish, time to gather “te ibou” (a worm-like lagoon dweller that is eaten like jerky), or time to rest or play, has for some time been counting down to the end of their way of life. That global warming has been allowed to progress this far is unfortunate. That it could end an entire people’s way of life is a tragedy. Even in the most idyllic areas of New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia, the I-Kiribati will be forced to adapt to a whole new social and economic system (on the outer islands, much of the economy is based on barter using coconuts as currency–money that literally grows on trees). It will be as though they were expelled from paradise. I’m glad that ABC News has taken on this story, and I look forward to seeing Bill Weir’s other stories. Thank you.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
What a pleasure watching the extended version of WorldNews. Fantastic coverage without having mindless, idiotic commercial interruptions! Please keep doing a great job. Congratulations!
Hilton

Thanks, Charlie for making World News more wordly.Iknow that one sponsor is responsible, but a choice to show us the world, mustn’t have been easy.
Bill, as always you do an incredible job. I’m a Canadian and like to see what goes on at our neighbours (U.S.), but love to think what your six minutes is showing – we are all neighbours.

This was the most WAKE-UP CALL we could ever get. On how the world is changing. I hope this makes some people think about all those big cars and trucks they drive around? I think Bill Wier is the best reporter this side of Charles Gibson.

Interesting story on Kiribati but the issue of the threats to small islands is actually a lot closer to us than you realize. A few years ago I remember the former Ambassador from Antigua sounding the alarm regarding the threat to his country from the rising sea levels. Can the islands of the Bahamas be any safer.

It is ashame that ABC did not do their homework and falsely claimed that the island chains problems have anything to do with global warming.
I guess that is the state of news nowadays. The island is a coral atoll in an active seismic region. The water isn’t rising, the island is collapsing as are many similar islands in the pacific in that region.

I want more of this kind of reporting. There is so much more happening on Earth than the activities in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, celebrities etc. I want the global picture and I think these reports by Bill Weir will answer that need. Thank you for fewer ads Pfizer.

The story was a complete fake out. Yes, Kiribati is sinking. But it is sinking because it is a coral atoll. Coral Atolls are built on top of SINKING volcanoes. Coral Atolls are always sinking.
Look up “atoll” on wikipedia, it has a great animation that shows who this works.
They are going to use anything they can to push the idea of global warming. And it seems their motto is “There’s a sucker born every minute”.

Dear Mr. Weir,
I was wondering how the people of Kiribati were effected by the tsunami that occurred today in the Pacific Ocean. Do you how they are fairing?

Hi Bill,
It was great seeing your program about Kiribati. My family all sent me the link to watch it over the Internet. I’m surprised you came and went and I never heard anything about it – and you were right in my neighborhood! I have been living in Kiribati now for nearly ten years. I can certainly see that the water level is rising. I live right on the lagoon and each year the sea is getting higher. We build a sea wall, the relatively mild waves take it down (nothing compared to the storms on the east coast of theUS where I grew up). So we build it higher, and it’s still not high enough. There’s definitely something happening to bring the waters higher here. I’d like to comment on some of the other comments. First, I don’t know that anyone in Kiribati is pointing the finger at who may be responsible for all this. No one gives that much thought to tomorrow in these islands. These are an extremely resilient people, taking life as it comes, hardships and all. When your house takes sea damage, you patch it up. Maybe you try to build a sea wall. When it falls down – you build it up again. That’s just the way it is.
As for the mangroves, yes, there is some work towards planting mangroves and it does help, but not enough.
I appreciate reading everyone’s remarks. Those of you who have been here know, Kiribati is a special place and the people are one of a kind. They shouldn’t have to lose their homeland – for whatever reason. It’s a tragedy.

Mauri,
For all you concerned about the effects that Kiribati might have incurred because of the earth quake in the Solomon Islands I spoke with one of the Peace Corps volunteers on Tarawa. She had just come in from one of the southern outer islands had not even known it had happened until arriving in Tarawa several days after the event. Some islands have good radio reception but there are not always radios or even phones available at all sometimes. The I-Kiribati were not affected by the earth quake.

I visit kiribati when i went on a cruise ship to islands in 2004.I seen how they live it is very poor there in that 2 world like living they had only one store that sales only cirgarette and stamps no food.they eat off the trees coconut papaya mango fish wild pigs chickens. kiwi fruit bananas,and the schools on one side of islands is very poor i felt like crying it makes you appreciate what you have and dont take things for grant.i wish i could help them i wanted to come home and send them some clothes and shoes but i didnt know how i would get it there. they didnt have cars only bikes know street or side walk, dirt road.it was something to experience coming from usa.the natives there even sang to us and the only word the talk was no or shake your head on that part of island.

The way I look at it is Ice (frozen water that increases in volume by about 9%) witch is mostly under water is expanded water. So when all the ice melts the water level will go down and there will be more land. Coral islands continue to grow if theft undisturbed.
Global warming is a natural occurrence as the world’s climate stabilizes from the effects of the ice ages. We are trying to stop the effects caused by the ice age. Regardless what mankind does the earths atmosphere will return to a stabilized state.
So you ask then why is Kiribati sinking. Well it is not! And I ask why is it only on the islands with the most population were we see the most effects of the so called global warming.
The low-lying atolls of Kiribati, rising no higher than three meters above sea-level, makes the country very vulnerable to climate change yes but more so to urban pressure and over population causing groundwater depletion, marine-life and sea-water contamination from human and solid waste, over-fishing of the reefs and lagoons, coastal erosion from beach mining of the beaches to replace traditional homes with concert homes and buildings and sea walls. The country is also facing considerable socioeconomic difficulties due to the poor management of population growth. The money being spent on Kiribati and countries like it for global warming would be better off spent on birth control and education in urban development. Kiribati with an average population density of 115 per square kilometer and 2558 per square kilometer in south Tarawa should be taught that there is a limit to its countries growth. Kiribati is not a poor country. It may look poor but this is the way the government wants it. It is a country that lives on aid with money in the bank that they took from banaba. Kiribati is not sinking and has lots of land to relocate there people to. Kiribati needs to learn to take care of them selves. If you want to help educate them, and stop throwing money away.