Migration isn’t driven only by politics or social issues. In the era of climate change, the environment itself is becoming a reason to leave home.
The first climate migrants from the remote Pacific island nation of Tuvalu have arrived in Australia, marking a key step in a bilateral agreement designed to offer long-term mobility while maintaining links to a country increasingly threatened by climate change.
More than one-third of Tuvalu’s population of around 11,000 applied for the climate visa under a deal struck between the two countries two years ago. Australia has capped the intake at 280 visas annually, seeking to prevent a brain drain in the small island nation while offering a structured pathway for migration.
Those selected in the first intake reflect the fabric of Tuvaluan society, including the country’s first female forklift driver, a dentist and a pastor focused on preserving community and spiritual life thousands of kilometres from home, Australian officials said.
Tuvalu is among the countries most exposed to sea level rise, made up of low-lying atolls scattered across the Pacific between Australia and Hawaii. On the main atoll of Funafuti, land narrows to just metres in places, with families living under thatched roofs and children playing football on the airport runway because of space constraints.
NASA scientists project that by 2050, daily tides could submerge about half of Funafuti, home to roughly 60% of Tuvalu’s residents, assuming a one metre rise in sea levels. A more severe scenario could leave up to 90% of the atoll under water, according to the projections cited by officials.
Among those migrating is dentist Masina Matolu, who said the move to Australia is driven by a desire to serve communities while continuing to support Tuvalu. In a video released by Australia’s foreign affairs department, she said she was excited to help people and alleviate suffering, adding that skills gained abroad could be brought back through volunteer work in her home country.
Pastor Manipua Puafolau, from Funafuti, said migration was about more than physical safety and economic opportunity. Speaking in Tuvaluan in the same video, he said that people relocating also need spiritual guidance as they adjust to life away from their island home. Puafolau plans to settle in regional South Australia, where many Pacific Islanders work in agriculture and meat processing.
Kitai Haulapi, identified as Tuvalu’s first female forklift driver, described feeling happy and excited when she learned about the opportunity, saying it opened a new pathway for her future. She plans to relocate to Melbourne and hopes to continue supporting her family in Tuvalu by sending money home.
Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Feleti Teo visited the Tuvaluan community in Melbourne last month, urging migrants to maintain strong cultural bonds and connections across borders as relocation accelerates, according to Tuvalu officials.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the climate visa offers “mobility with dignity”, allowing Tuvaluans to live, study and work in Australia as climate impacts worsen, while contributing to Australian society. Support services are being established in Melbourne, Adelaide and Queensland to help families settle as Tuvalu confronts a future shaped by rising seas and shrinking land.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
China has announced plans to complete the world's first AI-driven geological map of Mars by the end of 2028, a project that aims to reconstruct the red planet's ancient water history and introduce a Chinese framework for Martian geological time that Beijing hopes will become a new global standard.
Norway’s parliament on Wednesday began public hearings into ties between late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Norwegian diplomats and politicians, as authorities face questions over the impact of those relationships on the country’s foreign service.
New York prosecutors have reopened a criminal investigation into allegations that seven Cornell University fraternity members sexually assaulted a student in 2024. The case is set to be presented to a grand jury following renewed scrutiny.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has declared that Brexit has done more harm than good, while reaffirming support for Ukraine and NATO as he used his first Labour conference speech as leader to set out a new direction for Britain.
The arrival in South Korea of two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting for Russia has created a rare legal, diplomatic and humanitarian case, raising questions over their status, security and future.
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