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Sheer indifference to the abject annihilation wrought upon Pacific island nations (Vanuatu 🇻🇺, Nauru 🇳🇷, Kiribati 🇰🇮, Tuvalu 🇹🇻, Niue 🇳🇺 ...) is one of the greatest constants of history since the dawn of the industrial age.
Let me tell you a simple three-act story about I-Kiribati history.
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Sheer indifference to the abject annihilation wrought upon Pacific island nations (Vanuatu 🇻🇺, Nauru 🇳🇷, Kiribati 🇰🇮, Tuvalu 🇹🇻, Niue 🇳🇺 ...) is one of the greatest constants of history since the dawn of the industrial age.
Let me tell you a simple three-act story about I-Kiribati history.
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Reposted from
Elizabeth Kolbert
Vanuatu's statement on the outcome of #COP29 sums it up nicely: “It’s not enough. It was never going to be enough.”
Comments
The cheapest sources were Pacific islands like Banaba (Kiribati) accreted from millennia of lithified guano. They were strip-mined — 90% of land turned to rubble.
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It wasn't just Bikini Atoll — over 100 bombs were detonated across various Pacific islands, including Kiribati. Some islands were still inhabited, and were not properly evacuated. Many remain radioactive to this day.
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Countries like Kiribati have the lowest per capita emissions of any countries. They are just a few feet above sea level, are literally washing away as we speak. They have always been the first to bear the sins of the world.
It was never going to be enough.
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