Tuvalu: Gathering the data to climate-proof coastal infrastructure investments

Launched in 2017, with backing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project (TCAP) aims to reduce exposure to coastal hazards and to develop a long-term coastal adaptation strategy for the Small Island Developing State.

An atoll nation, most of Tuvalu sits just metres above sea level, but there are surprisingly few accurate data sets that map the nation’s topography. One of the first and most fundamental tasks of the project has been to secure baseline data to determine the relationship between land elevation and sea level, to model future scenarios, and to inform design of coastal infrastructure, as well as development planning. This protects vulnerable communities and future-proofs investments.

To gather the data, the project is using airborne LIDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging— a state-of-the-art airplane-mounted technology which has now collected precise information on land surface height and seafloor depth.

In 2015, Cyclone Pam caused devastation across the islands, displacing 45% of the population. The damage caused was an unwelcome reminder that climate change is leading to such extreme weather events happening more often, and with more force.

More information is critical to build greater resilience.

Gathering land and sea data will contribute to building the capacity of authorities in Tuvalu, as well as local communities, towards adapting to climate change over the long-term, helping to secure the future of this vulnerable Small Island Developing State.

This GCF-UNDP project in Tuvalu is further enhanced and complemented by the ongoing efforts of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) across other island countries in the Pacific. The programme aims to support increased climate-resilient sustainable development of 100,000 beneficiaries in the Cook Islands, Niue, Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and Tuvalu through the achievement of three outcomes: 

1. increased generation and use of climate information in decision making; 
2. enhanced adaptive capacity and reduced exposure to climate risks; and 
3. strengthened awareness of climate threats and risk-reduction processes.