Tokelau is a small territory of the country of New Zealand. It is comprised of three coral atolls and is found in the southern Pacific Ocean. The atolls are small and only consist of approximately five square miles of total land area and a population of nearly 1,400. While the atolls are considered a territory of New Zealand, the inhabitants consider themselves a nation as they are self-administered.
Atolls are considerably threatened by rising seas and other climate change impacts. Atolls are very low-lying and therefore will feel the brunt of sea rises even within the next few decades. Many fear that atoll nations will disappear altogether as sea levels rise. This is why atolls, such as the three of Tokelau, are striving to be an example for fighting climate change.
Aside from the fear of rising seas, the three atolls of Tolelau have already been hit hard by changes in climate. One such change, shifting weather patterns, created a seven-month long drought on the atolls. Due to a number of factors, the inhabitants were forced to ship water from New Zealand to survive.
Recently a former government leader in Tokelau, Foua Toloa, announced that the atolls would be leaving behind fossil fuels and becoming solely dependent upon renewable energy. Toloa stated: “By September next year, we will become the first nation using 100 percent renewable energy, and number one in percentage greenhouse gas reduction in the Pacific and elsewhere.”
Ninety-three percent of their renewable energy will be derived from solar energy while the other seven percent will come for coconut oil biodiesel. New Zealand will be funding the entire project. The few inhabitants and the lifestyle in general on the atolls does not create a great deal of greenhouse emissions, at least not compared to such locations as the United States and the European Union. However, the small atolls hope to be an example for such larger nations showing how dedicated they are to fighting climate change.
