Sink or swim sustainability
by Cate Montana
AMATUKU, Tuvalu - Midway between Australia and Hawaii a delicate chain of reef islands and atolls circumscribes a large inner lagoon. With its coral reefs, beaches, warm climate and sunny skies, Tuvalu matches most people's vacation ideal. As the only nation in the world voted above reproach for human rights violations by a panel of observers in June 1998, it is also one of the most peaceful.
The fourth smallest nation in the world, Tuvalu's Polynesian population lived harmoniously on its 10+ square miles of land mass for almost 3,000 years. But now there is trouble in paradise. Rising salt water tables and ocean flooding are rapidly contaminating the soil, making it difficult to grow taro, the nation's indigenous vegetable crop. There is no fresh water available - only what can be cached from rain. Much of the population uses the lagoon for its bathing and toilet facilities. The country has to ship its commercial waste to landfills in Fiji and New Zealand.
