“Wishing Well” addresses the effects of climate change in three countries: Kiribati, the Maldives, and Bangladesh. The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati is a low lying island that is so concerned it may be the first island submerged by rising sea levels, that their president purchased land in Fiji to relocate its residents to when the island becomes uninhabitable. The Maldives, islands that are roughly two meters above sea level, face a similar threat. The president and his cabinet put on scuba gear to sign a document under water calling on nations to cut carbon emissions so that their country can survive. In the coastal nation of Bangladesh, floods from rising sea levels have caused schools to be inaccessible to children, prompting the need to convert boats to floating schools which come to the children’s homes, and coastal residents have had to adapt to the chronic flooding by developing farming methods such as floating gardens, in which they grow plants in gardens that float atop the waters. Those who can’t sustain themselves in this environment flee to the overpopulated capital city of Dhaka.
As prophetically predicted on the flag of Kiribati
The view of these islands in the next century
A passing bird confounded by its discovery
Of a Sun setting over a lonely vacant sea
In most events you could imagine that you would be quite stunned
To find such a tiny nation placing in at number one
But in the race to see who first will sink below the sea
This tiny island nation has a shot to go down in history
Good-bye dear friends – we wish you will be well
It’s an inevitable outcome ‘cause you know we’ve got to sell
Our inefficient cars from less efficient factories
‘Cause to change would infringe on our dearest liberties
Yeah, the Maldives have a plan to make the future sell
There’s no view like you can get from their underwater hotel
Just slink out of your window in your iron lung and fins
I hope that you like seafood ‘cause you know chicken doesn’t swim
Now it gives a whole new meaning to emerging from a meeting
When the president and cabinet offer their warmest greeting
After taking off their masks after a meeting down below
Where they’ve set up desks and chairs to convene below the ocean’s flow
Good-bye dear friends – we wish you will be well
It’s an inevitable outcome ‘cause you know we’ve got to sell
Our inefficient cars from less efficient factories
‘Cause to change would infringe on our dearest liberties
Wishing well, we wish you well as you sink into the wishing well
Now if you’ve got an extra boat and you don’t know what to do
Get it off to Bangladesh and sell it as a floating school
And if your path gets flooded and you’re feeling pretty hardened
Lighten up and by some produced from a local floating garden
‘Cause when the monsoons come they’ve developed quite a craft
Growing fruits and vegetables right out of seaweed on a raft
But if wading ‘cross the village man, just ain’t your scene
In Dhaka there’s 15 million people that you can squeeze between
Good-bye dear friends – we wish you will be well
It’s an inevitable outcome ‘cause you know we’ve got to sell
Our inefficient cars from less efficient factories
‘Cause to change would infringe on our dearest liberties
Up, up the water goes – when it’s gonna stop nobody knows
Up, up the water goes – where it’s gonna stop nobody knows
Up, up the water goes – when it’s gonna stop nobody knows
Up, up the water goes – where the people gonna live, nobody knows