瑙鲁（Nauru，又译诺鲁）1月15日宣布与台湾断交，转为寻求与北京恢复外交关系，令台邦交国跌至仅馀12个。
位于中太平洋的瑙鲁人口约1.8万人，陆地面积仅21.1平方公里，未及九龙一半，为全球最细岛国，也是世上第三细的国家。这个地方曾因磷矿而富有，但后来磷矿枯竭，收入大减。
瑙鲁只由一个约长6公里、阔4公里的独立珊瑚礁岛组成，离赤道仅42公里，属热带雨林气候。当地58%人口为瑙鲁人，其馀为其他太平洋岛国人、华人、菲律宾人和欧洲人后裔。
瑙鲁曾有60%国土为磷酸盐覆盖，但农产品有限，几乎所有食品和饮用水都依赖进口。该国自20世纪大量开采并出口磷矿，1970年代借此一度成为富有国家，但经济在磷矿枯竭后极受打击，至2020人均国内生产总值约为8,870美元。
澳洲现时是瑙鲁的最大援助国。瑙鲁并无本国货币，通用澳元，另外只有约100名警察，不设军队，防务由澳洲协助。当地以英语为官方语言，通用瑙鲁语。
In 2020, a three-year study at the University of Plymouth which looked at the Maldives and the Marshall Islands, found that tides move sediment to create a higher elevation, a morphological response that the researchers suggested could help low-lying islands adjust to sea level rise and keep the islands habitable. The research also reported that sea walls were compromising the islands’ ability to adjust to rising sea levels and that island drowning is an inevitable outcome for islands with coastal structures like sea walls.[6] Hideki Kanamaru, natural resources officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization in Asia-Pacific, said the study provided a "new perspective" on how island nations could tackle the challenge of sea-level rise, and that even if islands can adapt naturally to higher seas by raising their own crests, humans still needed to double down on global warming and protection for island populations.[7]
In 1988, Maldivian authorities believed that rising seas could already entirely cover the nation within the next 30 years, stating that "an estimated rise of 20 to 30 centimetres in the next 20 to 40 years [would] be \'catastrophic\'".[3] By 2021, 90% of islands in the Maldives experienced severe erosion, 97% of the country no longer had fresh groundwater, and more than 50% of the national budget was being spent on efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change. The country had also lost one of its primary natural defenses in a 2016 bleaching event that affected about 60% of its coral reefs.[2] The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change\'s 2007 report predicted the upper limit of the sea level rises will be 59 centimetres (23 in) by 2100, which means that most of the republic\'s 200 inhabited islands may need to be abandoned.[4] According to researchers from the University of Southampton, the Maldives are the third most endangered island nation due to flooding from climate change as a percentage of population.[5]
噢，说的是马尔代夫，不是瑙鲁。 In 2020, a three-year study at the University of Plymouth which looked at the Maldives and the Marshall Islands, found that tides move sediment to create a higher elevation, a morphological response that the researchers suggested could help low-lying islands adjust to sea level rise and keep the islands habitable.
九十年代，科学家们预测，这个国家将随着全球变暖而在2020年前沉入太平洋。那时的总统，叫个什么“默罕默德”的，还煞有介事儿地戴着个潜水面罩办公，怎么现在还在水面以上呢？难道是科学错了，还是就是“伪”科学呢？总得有个说法儿吧