Five islands already submerged by climate change in the Solomon Islands, more under threat
BY NED GAGAHE
Five small islands in Solomon Islands have already disappeared beneath the sea due to rising sea levels linked to climate change, according to Henry Tufah of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).
Speaking during a three-day media training on loss and damage at Rock Haven Inn, Mr Tufah presented scientific data and satellite imagery showing the steady disappearance of several low-lying islands over recent decades.
He said islands including Kale, Rapita, Rehana, Kakatina and Zollies were completely submerged by 2014.
“These are islands that existed before, but over time the land continued to reduce until they disappeared completely beneath the sea,” Mr Tufah said.
According to data presented during the training, Kale Island measured about 14,890 square metres in 1947 but had completely disappeared by 2014.
Mr Tufah said the findings were based on studies comparing aerial photographs and satellite images taken over many years.
He explained that sea level rise remains one of the biggest slow-onset impacts of climate change affecting Solomon Islands.
“Slow-onset events happen gradually over time, like sea level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion,” he said.
Mr Tufah also highlighted the case of Walande in South Malaita, where the settlement gradually disappeared due to coastal erosion and rising seas.
He said aerial images showed that around 85 buildings existed on the island settlement during the 1940s, but by 2024 no part of the island remained above sea level during high tide.
Tufah said communities were eventually forced to relocate inland, losing homes, cultural sites, burial grounds and parts of their traditional way of life.
“When you lose your home, you lose your identity, your culture and your connection to the land,” he said.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, David Hiba Hiriasia, said climate-related loss and damage is becoming a major national challenge for Solomon Islands.
He said the draft Solomon Islands Climate Loss and Damage Evidence Base Report 2026 estimates that the country loses around USD79 million annually due to climate-related loss and damage, equivalent to 8.69 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product each year.
“This is not just an environmental concern; it is a national development challenge, a growing economic burden, and a human crisis,” Mr Hiriasia said.
“We saw this clearly in the 2014 Honiara floods. The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment conducted by the World Bank documented that in just a matter of days, the event caused USD107.8 million in damages, equivalent to 9.2 percent of GDP.
“Twenty-two lives were lost, more than 50,000 people were affected, and beyond the economic losses, some impacts cannot be measured in dollars,” he added.
Tufah warned that many coastal and low-lying communities across the country remain vulnerable as sea levels continue to rise.
He said scientific projections show temperatures and sea levels will continue increasing under all greenhouse gas emission scenarios.
The training brought together journalists and media practitioners to strengthen reporting on climate-induced loss and damage in Solomon Islands.
The workshop was facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Media Association of Solomon Islands through the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity Project funded by the Government of New Zealand.
Photo credit: SPREP
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