DUBAI 24th January 2016 (WAM) -- A UAE delegation arrived last week in the remote Pacific Island nation of Kiribati to aid the country's struggle against rising sea levels and extreme weather.

Organised by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi UAE Minister of State in partnership with Kiribati's President Anote Tong the delegation will scope the first holistic assessment of physical optionsfrom seawall design to land reclamationto mitigate what the country considers an existential threat.

"Kiribati and other island countries do not have the luxury of time" said President Tong. "We are on the frontline of climate change and need to be ready for all scenarios. The UAE has stepped forward quickly with world-class technical skill and that is a critical and much-appreciated contribution to our ability to cope with change."

Kiribati is one of the world's most disaster-exposed countries. Almost the entirety of the land is less than 2 meters above sea level many forecasts indicate high risks of flooding or submersion if sea levels continue to rise and the government already reports harsher weather as well as changes in erosion patterns that threaten key pieces of fixed infrastructure.

"How new environmental conditions will play out in Kiribati and other small islands is uncertain but what it is certain that all countries must support the most vulnerable among us" said Al Hashimi. "The scale of risk is beyond what any small country can manage alone."

The joint project will identify and evaluate physical interventions that can reduce Kiribati's exposure to damage from the ocean. It will outline both the technical and economic feasibility of different options as well as their potential environmental impacts. To date Kiribati has largely relied on construction of ever-higher seawalls which require regular replacement.

The project builds on UAE-Kiribati cooperation in renewable energy. In October 2015 the UAE's Masdar commissioned Kiribati's largest-ever solar installation which saves the country $0.3 million annually by avoiding diesel imports.