Could a digital twin of Tuvalu preserve the island nation before it’s lost to the collapsing climate?

Fongafale island, home to the Tuvaluan capital of Funafuti. Rising sea levels caused by global heating are expected to submerge the country within 80 years. Photograph: Sean Gallagher/The Guardian

When Tuvalu vanishes beneath rising seas, its diaspora still want somewhere to call home – and that could be a virtual version of the tiny Pacific nation.

Global heating is threatening to submerge Tuvalu by the end of the century, and its 12,000 inhabitants are considering the future.