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RNZ 11th May 2018

Majuro - The Kwajalein Atoll Council is the first local government in the Marshall Islands to address growing concerns about the impact of climate change by adopting a resolution to focus attention and action on the looming threats, including plans to spend $US120,000 annually for developing and teaching a curriculum on the issue.

The resolution was adopted by the Kwajalein Atoll Council on April 30, just days after the release of a new climate study funded by the US Defense Department that focused on Roi-Namur, a small islands within Kwajalein Atoll that houses major infrastructure used by the Reagan Test Site for anti-missile defense tests.

This study concluded that between the 2030s and 2060s, these islands will likely become uninhabitable because of increased damage to fresh water and infrastructure from ocean flooding.

The local government resolution sets forth local, national and international actions the Kwajalein Atoll Council wants to set in motion - including a request to the US government for climate aid.

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Marshall Islands