Evacuation Of Carteret Islands Residents Likely To Start In 2008, Say PNG Govt. - SMH

About 2,000 people on Papua New Guinea's low-lying Carteret Islands could be among the first in the world forced to relocate because of rising sea levels put down to global warming.

Saltwater already has invaded much of their freshwater sources and destroyed food gardens. Storm surges and high tides aid the sea's invasion and the islanders are receiving relief supplies to help them cope.

The atolls lie around 85km north-east of Bougainville where the autonomous government responsible for the region is developing a plan to shift the islanders to the mainland. Bougainville Deputy Administrator Raymond Masono said the first resettlement could still be a year away.

The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) had approved a relocation plan but an overall program to ensure the islanders could meaningfully participate in Bougainville's economy had still to be finalised, he said.

EDIT

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Rising-sea-levels-threaten-PNG-islanders/2007/03/12/1173548094288.html

Your post is a chilling portent of the coming years.

Mexico is the beta for oil depletion, Australia for warming-related drought & crop failure, & PNG/Tuvalu/Kiribati/Maldives can serve as proxies for Bangladesh, Indonesia & Florida.

Alaska and Northern Canada are being overrun :P by environmental scientists, thank whatever Deity is out there.