The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has long been a celebrity cause of climate change risks.

Located almost halfway between Australia and Hawaii, the nine-island archipelago, home to 12,000 residents, is actively threatened by rising sea levels.

Up to 40 percent of its capital is underwater at high tide, and according to the starkest estimates yet, the entire Pacific nation is forecast to be completely underwater by the end of the century.

Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s Foreign Minister, has now announced his plan to become the first digitized nation in the metaverse, an online realm that uses augmented and virtual reality to help users interact.

Last year, Kofe urged world leaders to “take bold and alternative action today to secure tomorrow” at the COP26 climate summit…