UC advisor raises awareness of endangered paradise in face of rising tides

Because of increasing glacial melting and warmer global atmospheres, Roman speaks openly about the present risks I-Kiribati (people of Kiribati) face from losing their homes entirely by rising sea levels and growing tidal surges known as king tides.

“As the behemoth storms become more intense and frequent, the violent tides roll in and gnaw the land right out from under their homes, leaving many areas under water and depleting their natural coral filtration systems for freshwater,” says Roman.

Placing blame for climate change, however, is not his goal. His aim instead is to actively spread awareness about the immediacy of the problem because, as he says, “time is running out.”

“It's scary for me to think, but many say Kiribati may be one of the first nations to go. If so, I want the world to know that we once were here. We were happy and we loved everything about Kiribati. If the seas continue to rise at this rate, Florida, San Diego and other coastal cities and states will be next,” he adds.

The latest climate models predict the world’s oceans rising 5 to 6 feet by 2100, completely inundating many of Kiribati’s villages as early as 2050 through the elevated sea levels and increasing storm surges.

“The changes we see today are much faster than anything encountered in Earth’s history. In terms of rate of change, we are in uncharted waters,” Katrin Meissner of the University of New South Wales, Australia, told USA Today. “Climate models appear to be trustworthy for small changes, such as for low-emission scenarios over short periods, say over the next few decades out to 2100, but as the change gets larger or more persistent, it appears they underestimate climate change.”

To many Westerners, the Kiribati islands appear like a fragile paradise with an indigenous population, but as Roman became familiar with the islanders and uncovered their many intricate layers, he says he discovered a warm, robust and talented people.

“I was immediately seduced by the peace and beauty, but my family is what keeps me going back.”

Beginning in 2000 originally as a Peace Corps volunteer, Roman now makes periodic journeys back to the nation, which has impacted his life and continued education. As a Fulbright scholar while a doctoral student, Roman spent 10 months in New Zealand looking at how well Kiribati migrants were adapting to life in a new country.

While speaking to a crowd in UC’s TUC Cinema as part of a recent sustainability conference, Roman shared documentary videos and testimonies by the people for the love of their land, the various prisms from which they see themselves and the reasons for wanting to stay in their homes –– even to the end if it is near.

“As part of a ‘Migration with Dignity’ promotion to help accommodate the more than 100,000 inhabitants in their diminishing land crisis, Anote Tong, Kiribati’s former president, purchased nearly 6,000 acres in Fiji –– an island nation with a higher elevation and more stable shoreline to serve as a refuge,” said Roman.

“However, many I-Kiribati have valid reasons for wanting to stay in their homeland, even as the shores fall away and they are forced to move further inland.” 

No matter where they relocate, Roman says they know they will be second- or third-class citizens in another country. But in Kiribati they are always first class where life is simpler, neighbors help neighbors, people take time to talk to each other, children play outside all day and love is in everyone’s hearts.

“The common denominator here is a strong sense of fellowship,” he adds.