The nation holding back the sea

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Around Funafuti, giant dredging ships are vacuuming sand from the lagoon floor and pumping it back onto the shoreline, creating entirely new elevated land designed to withstand rising seas.

Australian coastal engineer James Lewis says the project has already expanded Tuvalu’s landmass by more than 10 per cent.

“We’ve been reclaiming land and raising it above forecasted sea levels to create more flood-free land,” James says.

Out in the pristine waters of Tuvalu’s lagoon, a cutter suction dredge vacuums up the top layer of sand and pumps it into a ring of large geo-textile containers, which build up higher and higher “like a wedding cake”.

“We’re getting people dry and high … and hopefully safe,” James says.

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