The world is always changing, and for humans and animals alike, that means you have to adapt. Sometimes, adapting is easy, and other times it may seem almost impossible.

For the residents of the tiny island country of Tuvalu, the changes are coming, and within the next few decades, they will likely be literally wiped off the map. The country is made up of small islands, the land of which is not high above sea level.

This means that as the ocean levels rise, they lose their land, and put their very survival at risk. Some experts say that within 25 years, the entire country will be underwater during high tides, making living there impossible. Even now, they are enduring more severe storms that can damage their structures and put the lives of the approximately 11,000 residents at risk.

So, what can they do?

Well, they have a number of things that they are working on to not just prolong the survival of their islands, but also ensure the safety of their residents, and protect their culture for the future.

To start with, this country has already taken legal action in the United Nations to try to slow climate change, which is one of the causes of its problems. In 2002, they threatened to sue both Australia and the United States for their role in this. In addition, they have called for an international fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.

Sadly, these things aren’t likely to produce tangible benefits in time to help the country. What they can do, however, is bring some much-needed attention to their issues.

To help protect its nation from rising sea levels, the country has also engaged in land reclamation projects. Specifically, they have worked to raise the capital, Funafuti, by a full meter and helped to bolster the coastlines. Of course, this is only buying time.

In the event that no other efforts work, the government of Tuvalu has already come to an agreement with Australia to allow up to 280 Tuvaluans to come into Australia and work and live using a new climate visa.

So far, over half of the residents of Tuvalu have applied. At a rate of 280 people per year, however, it may not allow for enough people to leave before the nation is underwater.

The people and government of the nation aren’t just looking for ways to save their land. They also want to ensure that their culture and heritage endure. To this end, a project that took detailed 3D scans of the 124 islands of the country has been undertaken. This allows the government to be recreated digitally.

In addition, the government has updated its constitution to state that the country remains in existence even if all of the land is submerged. To protect culture and traditions, various songs, stories, dances, and other things have been digitized and uploaded into the cloud.

In the event that the country does indeed fall victim to the ocean, it will remain as the first-ever digital nation, according to the Future Now Project.

The spirit of the Tuvalu people is strong, and they are committed to surviving no matter what the future holds.

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