Why the Tuvaluan government is recreating an entire country in the metaverse

Late last year, Tuvalu’s Minister of Justice, Communications and Foreign Affairs, Simon Kofe, addressed COP27 with some disturbing news.

During a three-minute speech, Mr. Kofe, joined by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song, made one thing abundantly clear: the continuing effects of climate change threaten the very existence of much of Tuvalu’s low-lying islands and islets. The threat is so dire that Tuvalu may eventually be forced to move its country completely online. For now, at least he’s cataloging every facet or aspect of Tuvaluan culture, preserving in amber a country that, one day soon, will physically cease to exist.

To emphasize this stark statement, the camera slowly zooms out, revealing, through glitches and darkness, that the speech is already coming from…