El Nino is bittersweet for disappearing Kiribati as it battles climate change

Source(s): Thomson Reuters Foundation, trust.org

As the tiny South Pacific nation of Kiribati battles to save its islands from climate change-induced rising sea levels and drought, in an ironic twist the strongest El Nino in nearly 20 years is providing it with an economic bonanza in tuna, reports Reuters. The warming of the Pacific Ocean due to the El Nino weather system has sent tuna schools migrating away from traditional waters, allowing the island nation to sell access rights to international fishing firms in excess of $15,000 a day.

According to the article, the Asian Development Bank this week estimated Kiribati will earn a record A$150 million ($109 million) during 2015 from fishing licences alone, about twice the amount projected at the start of the year, and equivalent to nearly 80 percent of gross domestic product. The current El Nino has bought widespread drought, stoking shortages of food staples and shrinking drinking water supplies.

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