Rising sea levels caused by global warming are threatening the existence of several island nations. By the end of the twenty-first century, some of them may completely disappear under water or become uninhabitable.

Nations most at risk of extinction

The most vulnerable are low-lying island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. For them, rising sea levels are a matter of physical survival.

Tuvalu is the most famous state on the brink of extinction. The average height of this Pacific archipelago is just two meters above sea level. According to scientists, by the middle of the century, more than half of the country's territory may be flooded. The government of Tuvalu has already concluded an agreement with Australia for the gradual resettlement of all eleven thousand citizens — the first official plan of evacuation of an entire country due to climate change in the world.

The Maldives is another vivid example. The archipelago, consisting of more than a thousand islands, rises above the water at an average height of just one meter. An increase in sea level by forty-five centimeters will destroy seventy-seven percent of the country's land. Experts estimate that the Maldives will inevitably be swallowed by the ocean.

Kiribati is a Pacific state whose fate, according to climatologists, is already predetermined. Even with a rise in sea level by ninety centimeters, the country may lose two-thirds of its area. Currently, the government of Kiribati is considering the possibility of creating a \"digital nation\" in the metaverse to preserve its culture after the physical disappearance of the country.

The Marshall Islands may also completely disappear under water if the current rate of sea level rise continues.

Other nations facing catastrophic consequences

In addition to complete extinction, global warming threatens the loss of vast territories for other states.

• Bangladesh is one of the most affected large countries. Nearly seventy percent of its territory is located at a height of less than one meter above sea level. Rising sea levels threaten to flood extensive coastal areas and force the relocation of tens of millions of people.
• Indonesia has already had to deal with the need to relocate the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on the island of Borneo. The reason is the rapid flooding of the city. Jakarta sinks by five to ten centimeters annually due to excessive groundwater extraction, which, combined with rising sea levels, makes a significant part of the city uninhabitable.
• The Netherlands, although not disappearing, are in a constant state of risk. A significant part of the country is already below sea level. However, unlike island states, the Netherlands have resources and technologies for building complex protective structures.

Scale of the threat

Even in the most optimistic scenario of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a rise in sea level by fifty centimeters by the end of the century will lead to the flooding of about three million buildings worldwide. According to scientists, up to two hundred and fifty million people may directly feel the consequences of these changes.

Today, residents of the Solomon Islands are witnessing the disappearance of entire islands. For Tuvalu, the Maldives, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands, the future is already predetermined — global warming inevitably leads to their disappearance from the political map of the world in the current century.

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