About a million people live in coral atolls like those in the Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and the Marshall Islands. These islands are just a few feet in elevation, making them some of the places most at-risk from the rising seas that will result from climate change. Five uninhabited islands in the Solomon Islands have already vanished beneath the waves in the past century.
Mainadhoo, Huvadhoo Atoll, MaldivesFirst, scientists don't have accurate elevation data for many of these far-flung islands, and even if they did, that information doesn't predict when they will be submerged. Mundoo, Laamu Atoll, The MaldivesMany islanders are adapting, even despite devastating floods, so just defining"habitable" is challenging."It's poking the beehive," Gussmann told Live Science.
Fongafale, Funafuti Atoll, TuvaluUrban islands receive more investment than rural ones, but they also face challenges. Tuvalu, the capital island of Fongafale, is home to about 4,000 people. By 2100, 95% of the island may flood during high tides.