Australia plans ‘long-term managed retreat’ from Cocos Islands amid rising seas
Many of the islands’ residents are descendants of Malay workers brought there to work in coconut plantations in the 1830s
The Australian government has proposed moving hundreds of residents from their island home within decades as sea levels rise, sparking outrage among inhabitants.
The federal government’s proposal, made public in January, suggests that residents, water resources, power stations, roads and shops be relocated in the next 10 to 50 years.
This “long-term managed retreat” is the most “viable option to protect lives in a socially, economically and environmentally respectful way,” the report said.
Government projections show that by 2030, sea levels could rise by 18cm (7 inches) along the Cocos Islands compared to 1992 levels.
Australia should be doing everything it can so people who have lived on these islands for many generations can stay there
Many of the 600 residents there are descendants of Malay workers brought to the islands to work in the coconut plantations in the 1830s.