00:45 Kiribati to Fight Against Climate Change As climate change continues to threaten the Pacific Island nation, leaders are planning how to get ready for what Mother Nature has in store.

At a Glance The island nation of Kiribati is facing a major threat from climate change and rising sea levels.

Officials have developed a 20-year plan for building up the island.

The plan involves investing in tourism and the fishing industry, and raising the level of a large span of land that is currently uninhabitable to make it livable.

As climate change continues to threaten the low-lying Pacific island nation of Kiribati, local officials are planning ahead for protection against rising sea levels and other effects of global warming.

Kiribati falls in one of the areas of the world that face the biggest threat from global warming.

“Communities would likely adapt to sea level rise by elevating their houses or moving further inland , particularly if the changes were gradual,” wrote the WorldBank in a publication. “Nevertheless, sea level rise could profoundly affect the economy of Kiribati by inundating the causeways that now link the islets of Tarawa, thus disrupting socio-economic links.

“Much of the impact of climate change will ultimately depend on the extent to which proactive adaptation measures are adopted,” states the document.

Some officials have been considering relocating residents to other countries, but President H.E. Taneti Maamau says the government has a 20-year plan to develop a “resilient and updated capacity,” CBS News reports.

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At U.N. climate talks held last week, Maamau described his vision for Kiribati, which involves investing in tourism and the fishing industry , and enticing high-end resorts to build on remote outer islands, reports Inside Climate News.

Authorities say they are also working to put together a plan to raise the level of a large span of land that is currently uninhabitable to make it livable, according to CBS.

"We can't do it alone,” said Maamau. "We need the cooperation and the hands of our developing partners and those who are ready to assist and join us on this ambitious journey."

The island nation is home to 100,000 people and typically has an elevation of 6 feet above sea level.

If sea levels rise by 2.6 feet or more, more than 80 percent of the island’s surface would not be suitable for living, according to Inside Climate News.

"Whether we like it or not, we are the test case," former Bali president Anote Tong said in a statement obtained by Inside Climate News. "We will go down."

King Tides have swallowed homes, polluted drinking water and destroyed crops. These massive waves are formed from the water rolling around the Earth as gravity tugs the ocean back and forth during orbit, according to the National Ocean Service.

Tong told CBS that he hopes residents opt to leave before they are forced to evacuate.

"I don't like our people to be categorized as refugees,” Tong said in a statement obtained by CBS. “Having lost a home, the last thing I would push to see them lose is their dignity.”