I visited Kiribati in 2003. I was a kid but I still remember how clear the water was; I could see little fish swimming around me. The people were really welcoming and fun. It's so sad to see this happening to them.

"This is where our hearts belong" Beautiful ❤ God bless these people, may their hard work to keep their ancestral home....🥺

It’s not just climate that’s a problem for Kiribati. Those islands are atolls. The islands are extinct volcanoes. At one time millions of years ago Kiribati was probably much like the Hawaiian Islands are today. Over time the volcanoes become extinct, and then erosion takes over. Eventually the island ends up being reclaimed by the sea once again through erosion and subsidence. Atolls represent a volcanic island in the last stages of its life before sinking back into the sea.

I'm so sad watching these people knowing that their lives are in risks but I admire their resiliency❤ Praying for them from Philippines❤

I am praying for safety and progress of Kiribati. I love how humble and simple the country is. Lots of love here from PH 🇵🇭

They need to start building in Fiji 🇫🇯 where the Government already bought land for them. It’s inevitable, so better to start sooner than later. That one family is basically living on a Sandbar !

I remember that, in the beginning of the first covid-lockdown, I read in my daily hamburg newsletter that several Kiribati men were locked in the hamburg harbour and couldn't return home. This was the first time I heard about Kiribati and, fascinated by all these little countries in the middle of the ocean, I spent half of my workday exploring Oceania on google maps 😄

One fun fact I've learned about Kiribati is that they are the first people or island nation to welcome the start of new year because of its location in the international date line.

Kiribati is a place I really hope to see someday. This film makes me know more about it. It is a great place, I am especially moved by their people's loyalty and love to their land and culture. Hope I can do something to help, even a little. May the good luck be always with Kiribati people!

Can't help but notice how the people of Kiribati look so much like us Filipinos, though they are darker generally. Yes, they are our Austronesian kin. Greetings from the Philippines.

If you have ever slept in a house with a leaking roof, then you know how messed up it is to live in such a location. Cold waters hits different when you are deep asleep, you literally go into a different dimension of consciousness where you are sleepy and cold, but can't quite sleep.

I discovered this country by randomly browsing google maps. The islands are very beautiful and I find it quite interesting how resilient these people are to live in such isolation.

The island and people are beautiful. I pray that they can preserve their home.🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

I was lucky to visit Kiribati (I'm from Italy) in June 2017, it was a life changing experience; incredible places and lovely people which unfortunately have to face with a cruel destiny... Good luck for your future i-Kiribati people, Mauri!

These little island paradises really fascinate me. There’s so many with their own distinct character and landscape. Wishing them the best life over there, even if it is pretty isolated. They have each other!

Thank *GOD* for international aid. Please everyone *pray* for their land & others to not be washed away by the oceans 🌊 🙏🏽🙏🏽 👇🏽

It seems like a Peaceful community. Praying that they are able to keep living there

My prayer and love for these humble people of Kiribati👏🏽. From East Timor 🇹🇱

Im astounded by the beauty of their culture! Love from Philippines

Such a wonderful documentry ❤️ love from india 🇮🇳

My first time watching and knowing these people in this beautiful country. I admire how they work so hard to find a solution in every problem. May the good Lord always bless and guide you in your everyday lives. 🙏 Sending prayer and love from the Philippines 🇵🇭

Has to be terrifying at night, all that water

Beautiful place, beautiful people. I hope the islands survive and the people don't have to leave. I wouldn't want to leave that paradise either.

I pray God will sustain them, much love to the people of Kiribati and thanks to Dw for this great documentary sending our love and prayers to you guys from Nigeria ❤

Very humble people. Keep planting mangroves. Our prayers are with you! Love from Papua New Guinea.🇵🇬

Thanks to everyone who helped make this film about the struggle of the people in low lying nations of the Pacific to survive against our changing climate. I am humbled that the people with so little materialistic things can still smile and be happy with what they do have, compared to people in more prosperous parts of the world. I have been fortunate to have visited Hawaii and the Cook Islands, and know where I like to be right now! Maybe if we spent less money on fighting wars, and more on slowing climate change, the world would be a better place for future generations.

I believe that Kiribas, previously the Gilbert islands, has one allied WW2 bomber pilot born there. Kenneth Hugh Grenfell. I think he was born there while his Australian parents were there, doing missionary work. He enlisted in Sydney, in 1941, was killed in action, attacked by a German ace, 3 am, 30 March, 1943, returning from a Berlin bombing mission. Just made it over the German/Dutch border. All the Oz crew were buried in Holland. He was newly married to an English nurse. No children. All crew died. The 2 gunners fired back at the German, and brought him down. So all died. It was witnessed by a Dutch farming family. They saw the bomber was on fire, saw 6 of the 7 crew evacuate the Lancaster, but none of the parachutes opened. I believe the plane was too low, when they bailed out. The 7th lad, the wireless operator, was found under the fuselage of the plane, when it was cleared away by the Germans, about 2 weeks after the burials. Ken was identified by his watch. Ken was surprisingly small for a pilot, but had escaped one very dicey situation and was seen as a very good pilot.

These people are beautiful. They are working so hard with very little to try to save their homes. I pray they won't have to live in some other country, and be considered "refugees". Like people want to leave their homes and way of life.

AMAZING! Much love for Kiribati people. These people learn to survive everyday of their lives. We live so easy compare to them. We live in a world of a home, computers, a stove, A oven, a fridge, playstation etc and these people are living to survive everyday, gaining survival skills.

No doubt about it..they the best navigators and the best fishermen in the whole world..they know the sea like no other. Love from Fiji

Small sand banks have come and gone throughout Earth's history. To think one random sand island would remain unchanged forever regardless of human activity seems unlikely. And didn't those ancestors move from island to island in a semi nomadic manner? I do feel for them but it's not reasonable to think some tiny sand bank can be saved.

It is the essence of Loving your own native land. Saving it from getting lost so people make ways to save it and supporting their local products and using them to make a product where they can used it to make their industry grow. Good job and keep it up.

27:30 she speaks facts about feeling like a second class citizen when you’re in a country that doesn’t belong to you. It’s sad to see the island washing away. You can clearly see how happy they are.

Six years later, and not a single Kiribati island is submerged. And the water level hasn't increased by more than a millimeter.

Such a beautiful and yet heart touching documentary , thank you dw team for letting us know about kiribati 🇰🇮

I have to admit, the mangrove planting was a pretty clever move to do.

Planting mangroves sounds like a good idea to me.

A wonderful community living in paradise- hope it will not become a paradise lost😢

31:44 I’m Proud of YOU BROTHER I’m so Thankful for giving this young brothers an opportunity in life where there’s no hope but from the land, the sad thing is that there’s no land left, evacuation is the only key bro if you can read this listen, but hey is your funeral I repeat!!!

20:36 Imagine a women's rights activist concerned with teaching other woman how to cook and prepare meals in the US "You're not just making a meal you're also making medicine" what a wonderfully enlightened view.

This has happened in the past as well. There are ancient cities lost to the ocean

i love how they used interstellar background music

I hope the best for everyone that lives there. I know this documentary is about four years old now so hopefully they're all ok or if moved are safe. The only thing that got me was the older lady and her granddaughter. The blaming of other countries for the island sinking. From what I've read this country was like this for quite some time. Long before most of us were probably born. I feel for the native people losing their home, but we didn't cause it.

"Not just making a meal, your making medicine" -) love that

They forget to mention that the island in sinking faster than the sea level is rising. This is common for sand islands.

I wonder how these people are doing now. It's been over 10 years.

I once visited Kiribati and it was a wonderful experience.

What a beautiful island...hearing about it for the first time.I hope they do not loose their culture if eventually they move. God protect the island

It's been 2 years since this documentary, i wonder how they are doing

The indomitable spirit of Kiribati's residents in the face of climate change is amazing. Their proactive steps, from building barriers to planting mangroves, exemplify resilience and the human will to adapt.

The international community should take notice, and save this beautiful Island nation...

They need to get the tourists involved in the mangroves planting.Good luck to you all x

Great to watch something that involves other Pacific island nation. This is the first time for me to learn about Kiribati.

We had the opportunity to visit Fanning Island back in 2006 on a chartered NCL Hawaiian cruise. A two day sail from Hawaii and back. We were told to bring items for the children as the ship only stopped once a week. Every one of the 2000 women of Olivia cruises took part in this..because it’s what we do! What a beautiful place, where culture is still proud and not influenced by today’s gadgets. We proudly have several handmade items in our home today. I hope the efforts to prolong living on their atoll is successful. Global warming is directly affecting them..sadly most people aren’t aware of the place they call home. I will never forget Kiribati, the people, their culture and the hospitality. Best wishes to you all!

I love this narrator, he is also on world's most dangerous roads docos on Free Documentary channel

Didn't the New Zealand government explain this had nothing to do with global warming but due to a shift in the shelf after earthquakes? The Maldives is only 1 meter above sea level and according to this, it should be totally underwater.

Are we just gonna ignore how impressive it is that guy just climbed up that tree like it was no problem? I miss when I used to climb trees as a kid :(

All my empathy to those people on those South Sea Atolls. I am glad for them their authorities buy some land for them on better situated islands. B.t.w. i cant see any relevans between climate change and rising sea waters. Extra rain downpour cant rise sea levels because its a recycle process.

life can both be good and sad at the same time,my love going to kiribati people

I love how they played the song from interstellar 2:52. Meaning they need to find a new home and fast.

She is so right plant more trees , the mangroves protect the sand from erosion ,

They need to plant more mangroves along the ocean, support coral reefs, plant more trees, especially around the coastline.

I didn't skip any ads just to support this channel. you guys of DW did a great job in showcasing a worth watching, and a very informative documentaries, sending my prayers and love to the people of Kiribati..

I've had the luck to visit Kiribati. It is paradise. The people are so nice and warm. I bought some of their handiwork, which I still have. So sad this is happening to these beautiful islands!

Beautiful Island. Dint know it ever existed until this video. Love from Kenya 🇰🇪

I was going ask, "Could planting mangroves help?" Looks like they're doing it already.

Love you kiribatis Your friend from India ..... More power to you

What a gorgeous place. So sad for the people there. Almost 80 years ago, the islands were destroyed by the Battle of Tarawa, where my Dad fought the Japanese as a US Marine. Now they see there small piece of paradise washed out from under them. Heartbreaking. Nothing can be done in time to save the atol.

Its amazing to see people live so peacefully with out phones being a distraction.!🙏🙏

It’s clear that an extensive mangrove reforestation program would prevent or halt the progression of most of the negative issues Ppl were citing as immediate concerns. Why isn’t EVERYONE planting mangroves EVERYWHERE??!?! In front of sea walls, behi d sea walls, around the whole island… along the road, everywhere. Duh! That’s what their job is and that’s why there’s so many problems, global warming or not- this would be happening due to the loss of land via erosion and lack of protection from storm surges etc. plus, the fish need mangrove roots to use as hatcheries for small baby fish… it’s all related.

Watching this 4 years after this video released, I wonder what the situation is now...

Both heartbreaking and beautifully heartwarming at the same time. It's is an extremely sad symptom of the modern world, the negative impact of the powerful always adversely affect the less powerful. But, there is power in community. I have great admiration for the efforts of these communities to keep their traditions and way of life alive. Such beautiful people, living in such a beautiful place. ❤️

The solution is to *plant mangrove trees* and to build floating homes between the trees. The trees break the waves and protect the coast. The locals did cut down the tress. Their parents are responsible for the situation to some degree.

I see they are tearing up coral reef to use as building material. They take their own environmental destruction for granted. The problem they are concerned about is some else's problem.

Man.. I wonder if the Ancient Egyptian Island city of Heracleon was aware of the effects that cars and coal were having on their environment. Climate change was definitely responsible for the sinking of Heracleon, which was also built on silty sand. I wish that all of the "facts" would be discussed.

We need to realize that we dont need too much to survive.

“I heard that other countries are causing the climate change...but I don’t hate them” - that hit deep... 😞

is there any way of seeing these DW documentaries without the robotic english narrator? I have no problem just watching the german version and reading subtitles, am I the only one here? i really love this channel but the constant synchronisation just keeps me from totally immersing myself everytime

They look like us filipinos here in the philippines.GOD BLESS ALL THE PEOPLE OF KIRIBATI..

My husband and I visited Fanning Island, Republic of Kiribati a number of years ago while on a Norwegian Cruise Line cruise round trip from Hawaii. Such a lovely island and charming folks. We got to visit the nearly open air elementary school which was at the time, partially supported by the cruise line. At that time, one employee of the cruise line lived on the island full-time. It was a happy very short visit to the island. Saw some residences and the central town area with that school. Very pretty and yes I would visit again. I wish the country well and am sorry to hear of the rising sea difficulties in places in Kiribati.

This island is so pretty 💕

This was so sad to watch. They could loose it all. Pray they stay safe

Prayers of safety for the people of Kiribati! Love from Chuuk! 🇫🇲 ❤️ I've never really decided what I want to do in life, but now I know. I want to seek out help and assure others for a better promised future. What she said is right, we should stop these kinds of actions affecting climate change! I hope we will discuss more on this topic. Thank you for uploading 💚💙❤️

It's good news that Fiji sold to Kiribati a 20 square kilometers land that they can evacuate too and build their country's extension

I really enjoyed this documentary. I have lived in Southern Louisiana most of my live and during heavy storms and hurricanes my home always flooded. And in 2005 my home was taken by the Stormsurge that was with the hurricane. The marsh of the Gulf Coast has all but been decimated but the repeatative stormsurges. The marsh was what protected our southern coast and limited the damage to towns/homes. Grand Isle, Louisiana was just about wiped into the GuIf this year by the combination of damaging high winds, high tide, high rain total, and a storm surge that almost covered the entire island.. all this was in one hurricane. I really feel empathy for Kiribati. I love the culture and the love of community they show. Their ability to work together and involve the youth to become active in the fight for survival of land and culture; these actions will be what makes them successful. I pray that they have more success with planting the Musgrove trees, job trainings and trade, and I pray that they are able to find assistance with building stronger, better and higher sea walls; and have success with reclaiming their home from the sea. Homes raised up on stilts to protect families from water is a great idea. It works well for our low lying towns and for those homes that are now outside of any seawall (such as our marsh) But the downside is that Kiribati trees are needed for protection and sugar production. It would be very harmful to cut a bunch of trees at once to rebuild. Supply would have to be brought in or reuse the wood by rebuilding the same house (deconstruct then reconstruct on higher platform) only replacing damaged pieces or adding what is needed, such as the stilts. An out of the box idea is instead of cutting trees to provide stilts, why not move the houses into the trees. By doing that, where possible, the trees are still alive, strong and providing stability and protection. The new land in Fiji should start being prepared with solar panels,, clean water sources and sanitation facilities. So that it's ready for the influx of people when the time happens. I pray for everyone effected. It was hard for me and my family to be evacuated to the other side of the country and start over. Kiribati has a long fight ahead but they also have determination across generations to be successful. Good Luck and God Bless. Don't give up the fight. You will have a family here that has you in our prayers.🙏🤗🇺🇲

Watched because of globle. I would get the heck outta dodge.

Kiribati's timezone is so much ahead of us

This was always bound to happen. It happens to most islands, and not just because of climate change. It's been happening for millions of years.

Much love to you Kiribati 🇰🇮!reforestation the mangroves is a great way to do it!as an islander I witnessed this long time ago in my home island 🏝

There is a soft spot in my heart for Kiribati and I would love to visit. I assume you can get a flight from Hawaii?

Thank You For Sharing Love From Odisha India 🇮🇳

I’m just watching this now and it’s making me feel emotional for the people in Kiribati. Don’t ever give up on your island ❤️❤️❤️

some people don’t understand, there is this kind of pride in the Pacific Islands not found anywhere else. We are tied to our land so much it is us. So when we lose our land, we lose who we are. And I would hate to see their culture fade away due to the fact they are somewhere they didn’t choose to be. And say what you want, but the Pacific will always be home.

5 years later and it's still not underwater

My heart ❤ goes our to people of Kiribati 🇰🇮. So sorry to see the challenges you guys face in your daily life. 💔 it's an global issue. Big pollution emitters should think of our Pacific Islands 🤔 Nation. We have been put in this problems by them. It's there duty to save us from climate change.

Coming from the Hawaiian islands and studying Geology in the Pacific , I have seen what looks like the rise of the seas changing. The truth is we are on one of the largest Crustal Plate, called the "Pacific Plate", while most islands And continents are on Tectonic Plates, Hawaii is in the middle of a crustal plate which sits on a hot spot. The continental drift is moving this plate, which are below the ocean surface. If you look at Hawaii as a whole, we have a total of eight major islands, then many small islands , atolls, and reefs spanning over a thousand miles. Over time our islands have moved. Our islands formed and changed over time. I have experienced the shift of each island. Big Island is still growing and active, producing another island next to it because the island is on a hot spot on the Pacific plate. The landscape is long and slopey. Little to none beaches, with lava landscape. On the other major island to the left, which is Kauai the mountains have eroded and have a lot of white sandy beaches. The next island Oahu where I am born and raised , is the same. We have maps and photos of what our islands looked like before. I remember seeing beaches , but they are now under water. We have many sandbars , while other sandbars I used to see as a kid are not visible . Volcanic activity produce Earth quakes which help move the plate, with that it has moved our islands to left of the pacific, slightly up. All the smaller islands , atolls and reefs were much bigger before but sank over time as it moved deeper and farther from the hot spot. You will see this pattern happen for all the other islands in the Pacific, such as Kiribati which is below Hawaii and is also part of this Pacific crustal plate. Hope this all makes sense now. It is sad that it is happening, but those who are from the islands have to either adapt or find other larger islands to live on. Aloha

The town has a population of 60000 yet they're only 20 people on the beach helping save the town smh

Thank you for a beautiful channel for Kiribati.

It’s really interesting how Polynesians spread all over the world from Madagascar to Kiribas great people