Due to the global climate crisis, which has already caused irreparable harm and is expected to make the country uninhabitable in the coming decades, two of the atoll are now in danger of being submerged by rising sea levels.

What happens to a nation when it sinks beneath the seas and all of its citizens are compelled to flee?

“That is exactly the idea behind the Rising Nations Initiative — to convince members of the UN to recognize our nation, even if we are submerged underwater, because that is our identity,” Prime Minister Kausea Natano said during an interview on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

Vague assurances and sympathies from the world community haven’t helped the Pacific atoll countries, who started a campaign for a formal legal procedure to keep their statehood. Should the worst happen, this is what they want.

The strategy intends to reaffirm the commitment of the international community to the sovereignty of Tuvalu and other island countries.

It would also establish a repository for the cultural legacy of the islands, list them as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and boost funding for adaptation measures.

Atop “lenses” of freshwater that are being increasingly infiltrated by saltwater as oceans rise, atolls are referred to as “floating islands” since they are not physically connected to the ground below.

As a result, they are now entirely reliant on rainwater for both drinking and farming, and Tuvalu is currently experiencing its sixth month of drought.

“We have to deploy desalination plants, but they are very expensive, they consume very high amounts of electricity,” explained Natano.

The islands of the archipelago barely protrude above the water’s surface, rising 15 feet at their tallest point and only four or five feet elsewhere.

This makes the islands vulnerable to unusually high “King Tides” that salt the earth and wash away root crops, such as the once-essential taro and cassava.

The situation is extremely unfair: Pacific island countries contribute just 0.03 percent of the world’s emissions, making them one of the least responsible for global warming.

It might already be too late to preserve the most vulnerable nations, like the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, even if the world’s most polluting countries change their ways and achieve the target of keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

After deadly Cyclone Pam struck in 2015, more individuals started migrating, but for the time being, options for migration are still constrained by strict border restrictions, according to Natano.

The nation has backed calls for wealthy nations to pay for “loss and damage” based on their historical and current involvement in the climate problem, but the topic is still divisive.

However, Natano is still hoping his nation will receive the help it requires so that the people can continue to live on their land.

There have been preliminary discussions about how to properly file for a different identity within other nations, but he described these as a “last resort.”

“When you’re in Australia, you will become Australian, same for New Zealand,” he added.

“We want to stay in our country, practice our culture and traditions and maintain our legacy.”