A coral island smaller than many cities, Nauru is selling the one thing it has left to sell — citizenship itself — in order to fund its own survival against rising seas. The golden passport program, priced at $90,000 per nationality, has already granted over 120 citizenships and channels its proceeds toward relocating nine in ten Nauruans to higher ground. It is an act that sits at the intersection of desperation and ingenuity, raising the oldest questions of sovereignty anew: what does a nation owe its people, and what may it trade away in order to endure?
Nauru's 'Golden Passports' Offer Climate Funding, But Raise Security Concerns
Nauru faces existential displacement threat requiring relocation of 90% of population and infrastructure due to accelerating sea level rise.