Kiribati is a Pacific nation of low-lying atolls facing challenges that include sea-level rise, storm surges, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies. Relocation is not as simple as moving a dot on a map. Land rights, relatives, work, schools and burial places can all be tied to an address. If residents seek advice about moving, the questions would concern the continuity of everyday life as much as disaster risk. But the candidate record’s proposed queue for relocation consultations after a surge lacks a confirmed programme, office, date and evidence of people lining up. The reality of climate pressures should not be made more dramatic by inventing a queue.