The Last Generation

Share:
April 6, 2018

“If the ice melts too much, water will bury the island. So, that’s when people have to move away.”

That is how 9-year-old Izerman describes the impact of climate change on his home in the Marshall Islands. The low-lying island nation is home to more than 50,000 people — about half of them are under 18. He says he is learning to climb trees to prepare for when the big waves come. But he’s mostly worried about the idea of his family having to move away.

In this interactive documentary, meet Izerman, Julia and Wilmer, three children whose homeland could become uninhabitable within their lifetime.


last_gen_btn


Michelle Mizner

Michelle Mizner, Senior Documentary Editor & Producer, FRONTLINE

Twitter:

@michellemizner
Katie Worth

Katie Worth, Former Reporter, FRONTLINE

Twitter:

@katieworth

More Stories

Coming This Fall on FRONTLINE
Plus: How you can support our journalism at a critical time for public media. Read a message from FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief & Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath.
October 1, 2025
What the O.J. Verdict & Its Aftermath Revealed About Race in America
On the 30th anniversary of a verdict that shook the U.S., revisit a seminal FRONTLINE documentary on the stark truths and lasting impact of the O.J. Simpson trial, now streaming on YouTube for the first time.
October 1, 2025
Exclusive: Iran Won't Allow Nuclear Inspections if Sanctions Are Reimposed, Says Iran’s Chief Nuclear Negotiator
In an exclusive interview with FRONTLINE, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator said the country will end its participation in international weapons inspections if sanctions are reimposed.
September 26, 2025