April 5, 2023 — In American Samoa, the oceans are rising and the land is sinking.
Even the territory’s largest private employer — the StarKist tuna cannery that provides nearly 80% of all private employment — sits along the water’s edge.
That makes recent federal investments in island infrastructure all the more important, especially when it comes to climate resiliency.
But a lingering question is whether it will be enough.
Earlier this year, representatives from the U.S. Government Accountability Office traveled to American Samoa to meet with members of the territory’s newly formed climate resilience commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Vaalele Ale.
They discussed, among other things, the challenges American Samoa and other Pacific Island territories face when it comes to competing against states for federal funding.
“As a small island in the middle of the ocean, we feel the effects of climate change every day,” Talauega told GAO officials. “We see it in the rising tides and we feel it in the increased heat in the day. We are mindful of the constant change and have refocused our efforts through this commission.”