'Golden passport' program: Island nation counts on millions

The Pacific island nation of Nauru is planning to sell citizenship to finance necessary population relocations, President David Adeang has announced. The mass relocation of the island's residents is necessary because of rising sea levels. Passports for foreigners are to cost AUD 105,000.

Low-lying Nauru is launching a controversial "golden passport" program as climate finance runs out, The Guardian reports.

The country's authorities are planning a mass relocation of the island's inhabitants because the climate crisis, caused in part by humans, is raising the level of the world's seas, rapidly flooding the fertile coastlines of the island state.

By selling passports for 105 thousand Australian dollars (approx. 260 thousand PLN) each, Nauru hopes to attract interested people. Unfortunately, there are also voices that the program could be used for criminal purposes.

Nauru says its passport allows visa-free entry to 89 countries , including the UK, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.

"For us, it is not just a matter of adapting to climate change, but also of ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for future generations," the Nauru president told AFP.

The country is located on a small plateau of phosphate rocks in the sparsely populated South Pacific Ocean, covering an area of ​​only 21 square kilometers , making it one of the smallest countries in the world.

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Phosphates are a key ingredient in fertilizers, and their deposits are what made Nauru once one of the richest places per capita. Unfortunately, the resources have largely been depleted, and researchers now estimate that 80 percent of the country has become uninhabitable.

And what little land there is left of Nauru is threatened by rising tides. Scientists have measured that sea levels are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average.

Citizenship salesman Edward Clark told the media that existing climate finance efforts are not enough and taking on more debt would be an undue burden on future generations.

According to Clark, Nauru, thanks to the "golden passports" , can raise A$5.7 million (PLN 14.2 million) in the first year, which corresponds to 66 positively accepted applications.

He also hopes that the amount will gradually increase to $43 million – or about 500 successful applications – which would constitute almost 20 percent of the state budget’s total revenue.

National officials predict that eventually about 90 percent of the population will have to move to higher ground. The first phase of mass relocations is expected to cost more than $60 million.

Australia’s Lowy Institute found that more than 60 different countries offer some form of migration by investment programs. The think tank said that Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga were among those selling passports.

However, there are concerns that criminals could use the program to evade law enforcement, launder money, and engage in other nefarious activities.

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A previous attempt to sell passports to Nauru ended in disaster, when Australian broadcaster ABC reported in 2003 that Nauru sold citizenship to al-Qaeda members who were later arrested in Asia.

However, Clark says this time Nauru will only offer passports to like-minded investors who have gone through the "strictest and most thorough procedures".