Get the Facts Straight, The Independent, Island Nations Are Growing, Not “Sinking Into the Sea”
By
H. Sterling Burnett
September 8, 2025
The Independent posted an article claiming multiple small island nations are sinking into the sea, threatening the cease existing as nations, leaving their populations adrift. Data shows this is simply false. Amid modest sea level rise, the island nations that The Independent discusses have increased in size, population, and prosperity amid modest climate change. No real data shows that the oceans are about to swamp these countries.
“Small island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Maldives and Marshall Islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change,” claims The Independent in its story, “These countries are sinking into the sea. What happens when they disappear forever?” “Rising seas, stronger storms, freshwater shortages and damaged infrastructure all threaten their ability to support life.
“Some islands even face the grim possibility of being abandoned or sinking beneath the ocean,” continues The Independent. “This raises an unprecedented legal question: can these small island nations still be considered states if their land disappears?”
While questions of international law with regard to the status of nations and their peoples should a country cease to exist are beyond the ken of Climate Realism, data indicates that the populations of these nations need not fear for their islands’ continued existence or, as result, the dissolution of their nation and national identity.
https://climaterealism.com/2025/09/get-the-facts-straight-the-independent-island-nations-are-growing-not-sinking-into-the-sea/