When you emerge from the airport at the capital of South Tarawa, you are greeted by the intense equatorial sun and by the radiant smiles on the dark brown faces of the Austronesian people. As your vehicle advances along the island's one and only road, a stream of fleeting images passes by on both sides: typical island flora including coconut, breadfruit, and screwpine trees; barefoot residents strolling casually in small groups; simple homes with makeshift thatch roofs, with perhaps a small garden or fenced-in pigsty at the side. Government, economy, and commerce, meanwhile, are mainly concentrated at the western end of the island, along a stretch less than 10 kilometers long, taking only 15 minutes to get around by car.

In Kiribati, one "household" is comprised of a number of thatched residences. All the materials for the cool and breezy traditional thatched home, which is known as a kiakia, from roof to pillars to floor mats, come from screwpine trees or coconut palms. In the picture, a daughter of the Katuiti family is preparing to chat with an overseas friend via the Internet. As the national TV station broadcasts for only three hours a day, the TV set is mainly used for watching DVDs.

Thanks to the fact that we were guided around by Sophia Li, a volunteer nurse from Taiwan who has been in Kiribati for two years and has blended right into local society, during our stay we were fortunate enough to experience the hospitality and family life of Kiribati's people.

The Katuiti household embraces three generations. Although the three adult daughters have all married, the three sons-in-law all live at the Katuiti home with their wives and children. On this Sunday afternoon, the whole family is gathered, just like any ordinary day, in the "living room" (a thatch-roofed space with no walls), where they greet their guests. Decorative embroidery skillfully handcrafted by the mother Beiata and second daughter Terintango hangs from the eaves. Woven mats spread on the ground to provide a place to sit are also covered with foods and drinks of Kiribati, including seafood, fresh and cooked breadfruit, and other tropical fruits and juices.

After greetings and some small talk, before dining begins the whole family, led by the mother, sings a traditional folk song; despite their rather serious, pious expressions, the atmosphere is filled with warmth. "Today is Sunday, so as Christians we cannot dance along with our singing as we do on other days," says the elderly mater, explaining especially for our benefit. She further clarifies that her sons-in-law's elders have all passed away, so they are able to maintain a matrilineal line in the family, which is fine because after all "we're in 'modern' times now!"

The conversation flows especially freely between third daughter Reta, who is a nurse, and Sophia Li, her colleague. Sometimes after work the two of them will go to a local bar and imbibe some locally brewed coconut wine. "It's a lot cheaper than canned beer, and it's completely natural!" Lately their favorite topics have been, first, the second-hand car recently acquired by Reta and her husband, and secondly, the good news that the fourth sister will soon leave for Fiji to attend the University of the South Pacific.

In Kiribati, going to university is something special, because apart from the six years of compulsory education, only the most outstanding students go on to high schools from where they can then apply for scholarships for further study abroad. (Last year 60 new students left for university overseas.) When they return, their employment is guaranteed in the civil service, healthcare, or education. Of the remaining 90% of the population, most are engaged in basic agriculture or fishing, or they leave home to go to sea.

The end of the runway at the airport in Tarawa has been severely undermined by erosion from storm surges.

In a mid-status home, what is most striking is that everything needed for life is done at a basic household level. For example, in the Katuiti home, much of the water for daily use for this family of 15 comes from rainwater. They replaced their original roofing material (palm fronds and screwpine leaves) with grooved boards in order to steer rainwater into a gutter in the eaves and from there by pipes to two cisterns. Meanwhile, a simple well 1.5 meters deep that the family dug next to the house provides groundwater as an alternative to the rainwater supply.

Benjamin Ho, the ROC ambassador to Kiribati, who has been at his post for 16 months now, explains that even in South Tarawa, the political and economic center of Kiribati, because resources are scarce and incomes are not high (per-capita GDP in 2008 was US$1586), most people still live very "organically" and could be said to have the lowest carbon emissions level in the world.

For example, in terms of housing, only civil servants and the wealthy have the money to build concrete-and-brick homes, whereas most people still live in traditional thatched huts they have built with their own hands. This kind of structure, open on all four sides, is breezy and cool, quite suited to the hot local climate. Also, many residences lack toilets, with most people taking care of their needs in inlets of seawater near their homes or by "squatting" in the ocean. And in terms of energy, although there is a state-run power plant, the price of electricity is very high (NT$11.2 per kilowatt hour, five times as much as in Taiwan), and liquid petroleum gas is likewise pricey (about NT$3700 for a 30-kilo tank). Therefore most people use no lights at night (or kerosene lamps), and for cooking just burn scavenged branches, coconut shells, or charcoal.

Benjamin Ho adds that although Kiribati has been listed by the United Nations as one of the four poorest economic entities in the South Pacific (the other three are the Samoan archipelago, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu), because of the value system of communal sharing and the very tight family culture, the local society is nonetheless upbeat and stable. Perhaps the most impressive thing of all is that, "Young and old alike usually have wonderful smiles on their faces-open, genuine smiles with no affectations."

"However, this collectivism and optimism may be factors inhibiting the development of the industrial and commercial sectors in Kiribati," says Ambassador Ho. Kiribati president Anote Tong, who has made several visits to Taiwan, once sighed, "Taiwanese work too much, but the people of Kiribati enjoy themselves too much!"

The people of Kiribati are mostly Catholic or Protestant, and believe that the dead go on to a better place. Therefore funerals, though solemn, are by no means morose, and are often followed by a reception for friends and family.

Regrettably, even as this young country is still struggling to find its own path, over the past 20 years environmental damage has emerged as an ever-more-serious threat. The contributing factors are complex: inadequate environmental management within the country, the fierce shock to traditional lifestyles brought by waves of modernity, and global warming, against which the local people are powerless.

First off, global warming causes the blanching and death of coral reefs, stripping the coastline of its buffers against the ocean waves, while climate change leads to an increase in the frequency and force of tropical storms and storm surges. With these two elements reinforcing each other, the islands are more vulnerable to penetration by seawater or inundation by big waves, ultimately leading to complete salination of the groundwater.

P.K. Tsai, chief of the technical assistance team for Kiribati from Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund, has personally witnessed the deterioration of the environment even just during these three years he has been in Tarawa. He recalls that two years ago, when he went rod fishing at the seashore near the team's HQ, under his feet there was still a rich and colorful coral reef. But today it has turned completely white and is close to death.

The technical aid team has kept tabs on the quality of the groundwater in the wells of the farm households to whom they provide guidance. The result: "Especially these past few years, as a result of the impact of climate change, the dry season has lasted longer, causing the salt content of the groundwater to skyrocket." They have already warned farm households not to drink the salty well water, which can cause kidney problems. Moreover the groundwater has to be diluted with rainwater before it can be used to water fruit trees, because fruit is spoiled by exposure to too much salt.

Tsai further notes that in addition to salination, groundwater is also polluted by human and animal wastes, and for local people who have long bathed and washed their clothes in such polluted water, open wounds on their skin can readily become infected, leading to chronic skin diseases. For the people of Kiribati, who rely heavily on well water and where virtually every home has its own self-dug well, what was once the biggest blessing for any atoll-a stratum of underground fresh water-has today become a threat to public health.

Water, water everywhere, but...

Kautuna Kaitara, the coordinator of the Kiribati Adaptation Project II, who reports directly to the president, admits that deterioration of water resources is indeed a major concern for the country. With help from consultants from the UK, they launched a program last year to improve the supply and sustainability of fresh water. In addition, a new policy outline has been adopted with the ultimate goal of promoting collection of rainwater by households in order to fully replace the use of groundwater.

Kaitara explains that there is enough precipitation during the rainy season (November to March)-with average annual rainfall at 2560 millimeters-to carry the country through the entire dry season, if only the rainwater were properly stored. Rainwater is clean and need only be boiled before being used, requiring no expensive additional processing such as seawater requires. (The capital currently has three desalination plants, mainly for the use of factories and public institutions.) The government plans to create incentives to install rainwater collection systems on roofs, and is considering amending the construction laws so that "in the future people will have to include these in their building plans to get a permit."

However, for people outside Tarawa atoll, who don't have the wherewithal to transform their traditional thatch roofs into hard-surfaced roofs with water collecting receptacles, the rainwater collection idea will prove difficult to put into practice. This is why the government is also considering using the roofs of all "large" structures-such as public meeting halls, school classrooms, and churches-to collect rainwater. Right now everything is still in the planning stage, though fortunately Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union have agreed to join in the effort and provide funding.

In recent years, dreams of instant wealth have made bingo popular in the capital, and since people get paid on Fridays, the games often go on until dawn on weekend nights.

In the capital of South Tarawa, with its high population, not only is pollution of groundwater more severe, there is also a serious problem with waste disposal, testing the government's environmental management skills and testifying to the impact of modernity on Kiribati life. In 2008, Kiribati exported about A$8.70 million in goods, all natural materials like coconut oil and seafood, while imports were A$140 million, with the main items being staple foods, household goods, building materials, electronics, and motor vehicles. Even leaving aside the problem of the massive trade imbalance (covered by international financing), the imports show that the people of Kiribati aspire strongly for "modernization." Yet little thought has been given to handling all the trash that goes with it.

Nakibae Teuatabo, an advisor to the government's Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Agricultural Development, says with frustration: "At one time we didn't have any concern for the environment... before when people talked about environmental impact assessments, this was a strange term for us," and now you see the consequences in the capital. For instance, in the past the garbage from the urban council-which should have been setting a good example-was, with tin cans, tires, computers, and everything else all mixed together, simply dumped into the ocean where citizens hoped to make seawalls or reclaim land. It was only in 2007 that the environment ministry set norms and penalties to change this behavior, and has worked with the city government to initiate separation of garbage.

Taati Eria, a young civil servant responsible for environmental education, says that citizens need to change their attitudes and behavior. Her agency, in cooperation with churches and civic groups, has been holding various activities like beach cleaning, tree planting, and showing environmental films.

Interestingly, the moving force behind last year's first-ever beach cleaning event, which mobilized 2000 people and was a big success, was a non-governmental group: Kiribati Climate Change Connection, led by 49-year-old Pelenise Alofa. Her group, part of the Asia-Pacific Climate Action Network, aims to inspire grassroots activism.

Pelenise, who holds a university degree and has two adult daughters, relates that she lived overseas for a long time, and discovered only two years ago how much Tarawa had changed. Supermarkets and Chinese restaurants serving imported rice and meat have radically altered the dietary culture, and everywhere you can see discarded plastic and metal. This is why she decided to take on her current volunteer position, supporting herself by teaching English and running a restaurant. "I think that rather than running around telling everyone how our island country is about to be inundated, we should think about what each of us can do as individuals to make our environment better!"

The people of Kiribati grow up with the sea, and most everyone can swim and dive well. The photo shows a three-kilometer-long bridge, built in the mid-1980s by Japan, linking the capital of South Tarawa with the island of Betio, where the main port is.

Yet even as environmental consciousness is stirring among the people of Kiribati, there is nothing they can do about global climate change and rising sea levels.

KAP II coordinator Kautuna Kaitara states that though research on the precise effects of global climate change remains inconclusive, just to deal with damage already done to barrier reefs, in September of last year the government launched a program called "Improving Public Assets." It will protect infrastructure like roads, underground water pipes, and airports from tidal surges.

Moreover, President Anote Tong says that while there are still different projected scenarios in the scientific community about rising sea levels, for an island country like Kiribati sooner or later the conclusion is the same: "At some point in time the ability of islands to support the same number of people is going to decline very substantially. If we do decide to remain in Kiribati, there has to be very significant work to make sure the islands maintain the integrity to support life."

He adds that the government's main responsibility is to evaluate all the possible alternatives, including: What model for predicting sea-level rise should be adopted? What infrastructure is needed? How long can we survive under each option? The task is very complex and will require a huge long-term investment.

Asked whether the country will promote emigration, the president replies that what the government can do at most is provide persons desiring to emigrate with the skills that will make it easier to adapt to their new lands. He cautions, however, that for an atoll nation with great distance between islands, even something like technical training is very difficult to implement in practice.

Kaiarake Taburuea, a KAP II senior project manager, gets emotional when he thinks about the future. "We are old men now, and even now have not really felt any direct shocks from climate change, but our children will have to face it right from birth." As for emigration, he feels that many Kiribati people would find emigration difficult because they value the strong family and social ties they have at home. He also observes, however, that more and more people nowadays are well educated, are willing to take risks, and aspire to independent lives; these are the people who will emigrate first. Between these two poles, some parents who have moved to be with children living in New Zealand have already come back home. "They miss their friends and relatives, and don't want to be a financial burden on their children," says the 65-year-old Taburuea.

Oddly, there is a huge gap between overseas perceptions of Kiribati as doomed to inundation and a lack of immediate concern among many ordinary citizens, some of whom say that God will protect them. President Anote Tong admits that many people think little about what will happen 20 years down the road and live only for the present. "All we can do is make them understand that there is a problem, and if there is something we can do, we should do it. But if there is little they can do, why make them unhappy?"

However, this does not mean the leaders of Kiribati will shirk their obligation to face up to inconvenient truths. "As a government, as leaders, we must do the right thing for our people, and the next generation, and the generation after."

President Anote Tong, who is part Chinese, cares deeply about his land and its people.

Although prices here are two or three times as much as in Taiwan, enthusiasm for consumer goods is by no means dampened.

When the tide goes out, it's a good chance to dig up shellfish from the tidal pools left behind. Lately, say local fishermen-who go to sea in accord with the tides-it is getting harder to predict when there will be strong storms or rain.

Many households still depend on self-dug wells as their main water source. But in the capital of South Tarawa, the groundwater has become increasingly salinated and polluted, posing a serious problem.