← All questionsGS1 · 2025 · Geography ·Sea-Level Rise and Island Nations
QUESTION 4
GS1
10 marks

How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations? Discuss with examples.

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7 min
150 words
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What the examiner wants

Discuss how climate change and sea-level rise threaten the survival of island nations, with examples.

DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Mechanism: thermal expansion, glacier and ice-sheet melt≈35 words
  2. 2Effects: land loss, saltwater intrusion, storm surges, freshwater loss, migration, loss of maritime zones≈35 words
  3. 3Examples: Tuvalu, Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands; responses≈35 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Answer plan

MechanismEffectsExamplesResponses (adaptation, legal, migration)Conclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Giving the science without examples of island nations
  • Ignoring sovereignty and maritime boundary issues

Draw this

  • Diagram: rising sea → erosion, salt intrusion, flooding on a low atoll

Value addition

  • ExampleAustralia–Tuvalu Falepili Union treaty (2023) offers Tuvaluans a migration pathway because of climate risk.Falepili Union Treaty, 2023
  • LawICJ's advisory opinion on climate change (July 2025) said states have legal obligations to prevent climate harm.International Court of Justice, 2025

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