No stampede as tiny Pacific island sells passports

A remote Pacific nation has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island.

- 

Sydney - A remote Pacific nation has started selling passports to fund climate action, but is so far struggling to attract new citizens to the low-lying, largely barren island.

Pacific microstate Nauru, one of the world's smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called "golden passports".

Selling for $105,000 (about R1.8 million) each, Nauru plans to drum up more than $5 million in the first year of the "climate resilience citizenship" programme.

Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications - covering two families and four individuals.