The society of Kiribati appears to be on the verge of collapse due to historical and current international forces. It is quite easy to explain the collapse of Kiribati using the first two factors of Diamond’s framework: environmental damage and climate change. The fifth factor (a society’s response to its problems) also applies to Kiribati, but to understand it requires a complex analysis of the situation. The article in this Lesson by Victor provides some insight into the response of the international world to the problems in Kiribati.
1) Select two reasons why international cooperation on climate change has not been possible according to Victor (this lesson) and discuss how those reasons specifically relate to the situation in Kiribati.
2) What role if any did Kiribati play in collapse of its society? What two countries contributed the most to the collapse of Kiribati? Explain how these countries contributed to the collapse and include the citation for the resources you use to answer this part of the question.
3) In your opinion, do you think it is too late to save Kiribati? What might the United States do to help slow down the collapse of Kiribati or assist the people as their land floods? Do you think as a nation we should be involved in the relocation of the people of Kiribati? Explain your answer.
