Many small Pacific island nations, like Tuvalu and Kiribati, are just metres above sea level at their highest point. Residents here are experiencing the effects of climate change first hand – severe weather events have become more frequent and more intense, and sea levels are rising. Islanders face an increasingly precarious existence, coping with destroyed property, eroded shorelines, and crops killed by salt water intrusion.

In February 2011, award-winning photographer Rodney Dekker visited Tuvalu to record the impact of the king tides.

Find out more

• Get smart on climate change
• Why ocean levels are rising
• View photos showing the impacts of climate change in the Pacific