How so? We didn't wait until people started leaving Punta Arenas and other cities, because of ozone depletion, before we banned CFCs.
"Why even with the future ocean rises they might not be affected or can just work around it"
And people can just work around the higher UV level by wearing sunblock or garments with better sun protection, or walking around with umbrellas.
In any case, your NatGeo link pointed out how even if rising sea levels aren't an issue, ocean acidification, shifting rainfall, and more severe storms are still the expected consequences of a changed climate:
> Besides the damage inflicted by sea-level rise itself—coastal erosion, surface flooding, and saltwater intrusion into soil and groundwater—they will suffer from increasingly frequent and severe weather extremes (droughts and cyclones) and die-offs of their coral reefs through ocean warming and acidification, leading to potential collapse of marine ecosystems that provide food and livelihoods for island dwellers.
> ... As Kench sees it, Pacific leaders should get off their soapboxes and invest their energy in thinking strategically about how they'll confront the environmental changes taking place, changes that are causing food security issues and water shortages.
and this Hakai article brings up two of those points (more severe storms, and decreasing rainfall).
So, great. "Sinking" might not be a problem. What about the other expected problems?
These islands are not 'sinking' due to rising sea changes, they are just over populated and destroying natural resources, a common thread for humans.
They also can no longer handle the natural movements of the shore due to this.
> No one I spoke to knows anyone who’s yet left the country because of climate change.
This line sums it up.
Why even with the future ocean rises they might not be affected or can just work around it -
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/150213-tuvalu-sop...
Assuming they solve their bigger issues first.