The pinprick of low-lying land halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, is two days’ boat ride – and no aeroplane – from anywhere. But, cyclones permitting, next September it will switch off its old diesel generators and be powered by a $7.5m solar PV system designed to provide 90% of its energy. The rest will come from home-made coconut oil.
“If all goes to plan, the three islands of Tokelau will formally lead the world in percentage reduction in the use of fossil fuels, will be number one leader in carbon emissions savings per person, and number one renewable energy country,” said Foua Toloa, the ulu, or head, of the New Zealand protectorate.
“We stand to lose the most of any country in the world due to climate change and the rising sea levels, so leading the way by making the highest per person investment in the world is a message to the world to do something,” he said “It took me 64 hours to get here. Before I left my eldest daughter said: ‘Go challenge the world in Durban to match or better the renewable energy targets we have set ourselves and which we will meet next year,” said Toloa.
“We will be among the first to go under water. Already we are suffering extreme weather, storm surges, droughts, coral-bleaching, inundation of land and groundwater salination. The islanders, who depend on fish, can grow only a few crops on their 12sq kilometers of land.”
This year, because of a seven month long drought and a series of cyclones, which contaminated the underground water supplies, the islanders could not access water for the first time ever and have started to import it.
