Climate change is a serious problem in the Marshall Islands. Like many countries with islands that are close to sea level, the Marshall Islands is at risk from rising sea levels and other effects of climate change. The atoll and capital city of Majuro are especially at risk, and these challenges have major effects on the country's people. These dangers have led Marshallese leaders to focus on climate change in their international work, including creating the Majuro Declaration.

According to the Human Rights Measurement Initiative, the climate crisis has greatly worsened human rights conditions in the Marshall Islands (5.0 out of 6). Experts say the climate crisis has hurt the economy, increased unemployment, and caused people to move to higher ground or leave the country to find safer places.

Effects on the natural environment

The Marshall Islands is a group of small islands and atolls in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. These islands have an average height of less than six feet. Because of their location and land shape, they are in great danger from the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels have already started to take over parts of the islands. High tides and frequent storms continue to damage homes and property. Recent studies show that sea levels are increasing by 3.4 millimetres (0.13 inches) each year. A rise of one meter could cause the loss of 80 percent of Majuro Atoll, where half of the country's people live. The fresh water supply under the ground has become salty because of the rising seawater. In 2013, more than 200 homes in the capital, Majuro, were damaged, and the airport had to close because of very high tides.

Effects on people

The people of the Marshall Islands, including those living on the Majuro Atoll, often cannot leave their islands during large storms or very high tides. These events make it difficult to move to safer areas or nearby islands. The Marshall Islands are far from other places, which means climate-related disasters, such as king tides—very high tides that happen only a few times each year—can cause serious harm. To protect their homes from rising seas and storms, residents have built private sea walls. A study by Murray Ford compared satellite images of the Wotje Atoll from 2004 to 2012. The study found that shorelines in this area are being worn away by the sea. Climate change also threatens jobs and industries in the Marshall Islands. Fishing, especially tuna fishing, must change how it works because the environment is changing. The tourism industry, which has grown recently and has the potential to grow more, is at risk from rising sea levels and strong storms. Some people avoid flying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which could also affect tourism.

Mitigation and adaptation

In 2020, the President of the Marshall Islands, David Kabua, asked wealthy countries to pay for "loss and damage" to help reduce the effects of climate change on the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands also asked other nations to work together to slow the speed of climate change, especially the rising sea levels. After a drought in 2013, the United States sent supplies to help the Marshall Islands.

There is a history of the United States helping the Marshall Islands during climate-related challenges. In the 1940s and 1950s, the United States tested 54 nuclear bombs on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Later, the United States paid $604 million in reparations to help fix the harm caused by nuclear testing to the environment and people. Because the United States is the biggest overall polluter of carbon dioxide in the world, some people have called for the United States to be held responsible for the effects of climate change caused by its emissions.

At the 44th Pacific Islands Forum in 2013, the Marshall Islands proposed the "Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership" to encourage faster and stronger action on climate change. The declaration aimed to reduce rising sea levels by setting goals to cut emissions and increase use of renewable energy. However, it can be difficult to explain the effects of climate change in the Marshall Islands to people outside the country and to share the idea of climate change with the people of the Marshall Islands.

A study by Peter Rudiak-Gould shows that people who help explain climate change should think carefully about how the term "climate change" is translated into local languages. Sometimes, mistranslations can help make the idea of climate change more meaningful to local people and encourage conversations between scientists and citizens.

The Marshall Islands have taken strong action to fight climate change, even though it is a developing nation. The Marshall Islands pledged to reduce emissions by 32% by 2025 compared to 2010 levels and to reach zero net emissions by 2050. President Christopher Loeak said that reducing emissions benefits everyone by improving the economy, security, health, and prosperity of people in the Pacific and other developing countries.

The world’s largest carbon emitters, including the United States and China, will have the most influence on global emissions.

In 2014, former President Christopher Loeak said, "In the past year alone, my country has faced severe droughts in the north and the worst king tide ever in the south. We have seen the most destructive typhoons in history cause death and destruction across the region."

To protect the culture of the Marshall Islands, some people are trying to buy land and move people to other areas. Many Marshall Islanders now live in places like Hawaii, Washington state, and Springdale, Arkansas, where over 10,000 people live. Marshall Islanders living outside the United States still take part in their national elections by mail. However, those who moved to Arkansas have faced challenges, such as differences in food, geography, and cultural institutions. Rising sea levels are a major problem for the Marshall Islands, as they raise concerns about how to protect cultural and historical traditions if the Marshallese must move to very different areas.