TUVALU (Commonwealth Union)_ Tuvalu announced plans on Tuesday to create a digital clone of itself, recreating islands and monuments and conserving its history and culture as rising sea levels threaten to destroy the tiny Pacific island nation. Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister, Simon Kofe, stated at the COP27 climate summit that it was time to consider alternative solutions for his country’s survival, including Tuvalu becoming the first digitised nation in the metaverse – an online realm that uses augmented and virtual reality (VR) to help users interact.
“Our land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of our people, and we will move them to the cloud to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world,” he said in the video, which shows him standing on a digital replica of an islet threatened by rising sea levels.
Tuvalu was forced to act because countries across the world were not doing enough to avoid climate change, he explained. Tuvalu will be the first country to replicate itself in the metaverse, but it will be followed by Seoul and the island nation of Barbados, both of which announced last year that they will enter the virtual realm to provide administrative and consular services, respectively.
“The aim is to continue to function as a state while also preserving our culture, knowledge, and history in a digital arena,” Minister Kofe told Reuters.
Tuvalu, a group of nine islands with a population of 12,000 people located halfway between Australia and Hawaii, is one of the world’s most susceptible countries to the effects of climate change and increasing sea levels.
At high tide, up to 40% of the capital district is submerged, and the entire country is expected to be submerged by the end of the century. The country’s Foreign Minister expressed hope that the formation of a digital nation would allow Tuvalu to function as a state even if it was fully submerged.
This is significant as the government begins attempts to maintain Tuvalu’s international recognition as a state and its maritime boundaries – and the resources within those waters – even if the islands are inundated. Minister Kofe stated that seven governments have committed to continuous recognition, but that there will be difficulties if Tuvalu fails because it is a new area of international law.
