How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples.
Approach · directive: “how / discuss”
What it asks · Explain the physical, economic and legal ways in which warming and rising seas threaten the survival of island states, with specific examples.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Explain how climate change and sea-level rise threaten the very existence of island nations: land, water, economy and legal statehood
- Discuss with examples: specific island states, events and responses
Open with · IPCC AR6 records a 0.20 m rise in global mean sea level between 1901 and 2018, a rise unavoidable for centuries to millennia; for atolls a metre or two above the sea, that threatens existence itself.
Cover
- Warming → thermal expansion and ice melt → sea-level rise → flooding and salinisation → loss of land and statehood
- Rate of rise up from 1.3 mm a year (1901–1971) to 3.7 mm (2006–2018)
- Inundation of Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Maldives; saltwater in freshwater and pulaka; IPCC hard limits above 1.5°C
- Coral bleaching; Cyclone Pam (2015) in Vanuatu; statehood, EEZs and citizenship at stake
- Tuvalu's 2023 constitutional amendment and Falepili Union; ICJ Advisory Opinion (23 July 2025); Loss and Damage Fund at COP28
- India's IRIS initiative (COP26, 2021) with an ISRO data window for SIDS
Close with · For these states, 1.5°C is survival, not ambition; statehood that outlives land, pioneered by Tuvalu, may be international law's next frontier.
Add value (verified)
- The UN notes that SIDS together hold about 65 million people — under 1% of humanity — yet face unique vulnerabilities.About Small Island Developing States — UN-OHRLLS ↗“The aggregate population of all the SIDS is 65 million, slightly less than 1% of the world’s population, yet this group faces unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.”
- On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice gave its Advisory Opinion, sought by the UN General Assembly, on States' obligations in respect of climate change.Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change — International Court of Justice ↗“23 July 2025 Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change - The Court gives its Advisory Opinion and responds to the questions posed by the General Assembly”
- Tuvalu amended its Constitution in 2023 to declare its statehood permanent and its maritime zones unaffected by loss of land.Tuvalu's Contribution to the Secretary-General's Report on Sea-Level Rise — UN DESA (sdgs.un.org) ↗“In 2023, Tuvalu amended its Constitution to enshrine the principle of statehood in perpetuity and to guarantee that Tuvalu’s maritime zones, as established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), remain permanent and unaffected by any physical changes to its land territory.”
- Under the Australia–Tuvalu Falepili Union Treaty (signed November 2023), Australia recognises Tuvalu's sovereignty in perpetuity regardless of sea-level rise.Tuvalu's Contribution to the Secretary-General's Report on Sea-Level Rise — UN DESA (sdgs.un.org) ↗“Under the Treaty, Australia has made a binding legal commitment to recognize Tuvalu’s sovereignty in perpetuity, irrespective of the effects of sea-level rise on Tuvalu’s physical territory.”
- IPCC AR6: global mean sea level rose 0.20 m between 1901 and 2018, and the rate rose to 3.7 mm a year in 2006–2018.IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report — Summary for Policymakers ↗“Global mean sea level increased by 0.20 [0.15 to 0.25] m between 1901 and 2018. The average rate of sea level rise was 1.3 [0.6 to 2.1] mm yr-1 between 1901 and 1971, increasing to 1.9 [0.8 to 2.9] mm yr-1 between 1971 and 2006, and further increasing to 3.7 [3.2 to 4.2] mm yr-1 between 2006 and 2018”
- IPCC: sea-level rise is unavoidable for centuries to millennia.IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report — Summary for Policymakers ↗“Sea level rise is unavoidable for centuries to millennia due to continuing deep ocean warming and ice sheet melt, and sea levels will remain elevated for thousands of years”
- IPCC: above 1.5°C, limited freshwater may impose hard adaptation limits on small islands.IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report — Summary for Policymakers ↗“Above 1.5°C of global warming, limited freshwater resources pose potential hard adaptation limits for small islands”
- India launched IRIS with CDRI at COP26 (November 2021); ISRO will build a data window for SIDS on cyclones and coral reefs.PM's address at the launch of 'Infrastructure for Resilient Island States' at COP26 — PIB ↗“India's space agency, ISRO will build a special data window for SIDS. With this, SIDS will continue to receive timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coast-line monitoring, etc. through satellite.”
- The Loss and Damage Fund was operationalised on the first day of COP28 (2023).COP28 National Statement by Union Environment Minister — PIB ↗“which became evident on the very first day with the successful operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 16 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 221words · Minimalist IAS
IPCC AR6 records a 0.20 m rise in global mean sea level between 1901 and 2018, and calls further rise unavoidable. For small island states, home to 65 million people, this threatens existence itself.
- Warming
- thermal expansion, ice melt
- rising seas
- flooding, salinisation
- loss of land and statehood
Threat to land and life
- Faster rise: the rate climbed from 1.3 mm a year (1901–1971) to 3.7 mm (2006–2018).
- Inundation: king tides flood homes and airstrips in Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Maldives.
- Salt in freshwater: above 1.5°C, IPCC sees hard adaptation limits for islands' scarce freshwater; Tuvalu's pulaka (swamp taro) already suffers.
- Dying reefs: bleaching strips the natural breakwater, fisheries and tourism.
Threat to economy and statehood
- One storm, years lost: Cyclone Pam (2015) devastated Vanuatu's economy.
- Legal existence: statehood presumes territory; sinking land unsettles sovereignty, maritime zones and citizenship.
Examples of response
- Tuvalu: a 2023 constitutional amendment makes statehood permanent; Australia's Falepili Union (2023) recognises its sovereignty in perpetuity.
- Law and finance: the ICJ's Advisory Opinion (23 July 2025) set out States' climate obligations; COP28 operationalised the Loss and Damage Fund.
- India's role: IRIS, launched at COP26 (2021) with CDRI, adds an ISRO data window on cyclones and coral reefs.
For these states, 1.5°C is survival, not ambition; statehood that outlives land, pioneered by Tuvalu, may be international law's next frontier.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 16 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
