By Marissa Jacobs ‘25 A groundbreaking new agreement was reached by Australia and the remote island nation of Tuvalu this November, which would allow for 11,000 Tuvaluan citizens to relocate to Australia under “climate asylum.” Additionally, 280 citizens of Tuvalu would be offered a special visa to “live, study and work” in Australia, receiving access to the Australian public healthcare and education systems. The amount of Tuvaluans allowed to resettle in Australia will gradually increase over the next few decades.
The agreement, called the “Falepili Union,” is the first major deal for the resettlement of an entire people in the face of climate change, and it will likely serve as a template for future negotiations concerning climate refugees. Already, activists and experts are hailing the deal as the “world’s first climate resettlement treaty,” and they expect more to come in the future. The Tuvaluan Minister of Finance, Seve Paeniu, spoke in favor of this agreement, stating that they “want to negotiate friendship agreements with countries that share our values… so that our citizens can live there without giving up their nationality and enjoy the same socio-economic benefits as the rest of the population.” Tuvalu has been threatened by sea level rise for years, with the sea level in Tuvalu being around six inches higher than it was thirty years ago. In addition to flooding, sea level rise has caused coastal erosion and the increased presence of waterborne diseases. Junior Noga Arieh said, “Climate change is all around us, and we often do not see how it can displace whole nations and communities, like in Tuvalu.” Alongside asylum and special visas for climate refugees, the deal also includes political and defense measures. Australia will now have veto power over any Tuvaluan security arrangements, making it harder for Tuvalu to align with China, which has been growing its influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Response from other countries regarding this new deal has been generally positive. Countries such as the United States, New Zealand and Taiwan have all expressed support for the initiative. However, some activists, as well as former Tuvaluan Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga, say that the treaty destroys the country’s sovereignty, viewing it as a form of neo-colonialism. In addition, they point out that Australia is a leading exporter of coal, one of the main fossil fuels causing Tuvalu’s sea level rise, arguing that Australia should focus on eliminating coal production before painting itself as a sustainable country. “I would certainly throw it away,” said Sopoaga, who is running for Prime Minister again in 2024. “There is very amplified, loud opposition from the people of Tuvalu… You cannot just sprinkle around 200 or so people amongst the people in the population in Sydney. This is dangerous. You are actually physically eliminating the survival of Tuvaluan people." For now, however, it seems like the Falepili Union will stay in place, and even opponents of the deal, including Sopoaga, stress the importance of Tuvalu’s bilateral relationship with Australia. Junior Ari Jacobs said, “I believe that it can get complicated when other aspects of the treaty involve [Australia’s] political control [over Tuvalu]. However, this may have to be part of the process of building a stable relationship between the two nations.”
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