Tuvalu is likely to be the first country in the world to become uninhabitable due to climate change. And the children of Tuvalu could become the last generation to live on an archipelago that is quickly going underwater. It’s happening fast. Scientists predict that 95% of the country will be underwater at high tide by the year 2100.

Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, and that’s a critical problem for a country like Tuvalu, where the average elevation above sea level is only two metres. Flooding is not a new problem, but they have become more frequent and severe in recent years.

The constant influx of saltwater is contaminating the country’s farmland and groundwater, leaving the island dependent on rainwater and vulnerable to droughts, water shortages and disease outbreaks.

Meanwhile, strong tides are washing chunks of land away. The sand is slowly being swallowed up by the sea. Today, there are hardly any sandy beaches left in the small archipelago.