Serua Islanders battling climate change

COVER STORY

Pacific journalists witness impacts of rising sea levels and meet locals fighting to save their beloved home

By JESHER TILTO
CLIMATE change. How much do you know about it?
According to the United Nations (UN) “climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas”.
Climate scientists have showed that humans are responsible for almost all global heating over the last 200 years.
Human activities are causing greenhouse gases that are warming the world faster than at any time in at least the last 2,000 years. The average temperature of the earth’s surface is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, with the last decade being the warmest on record.
Many people are oblivious to the effects of climate change, with a growing number of them thinking it is nothing but a hoax.
Although the effects of climate change are not happening before our eyes every day to take notice, many are suffering because of it. The effects of climate change now include, among others, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity, and as is the case of small islands in the Pacific, rising sea levels.

Serua Island
With a population of about 150 people, Serua Island in Fiji has been experiencing the effects of climate change over the years.
But the resilient people of the island have braved the harsh conditions and do not want to relocate as the island holds a place dear to their heart.
Taitusi Dradra, a native of the island and spokesperson, said that climate change has had an impact in their daily lives but the people are unfazed, with many still putting up a fight to save themselves.
“Climate change has been affecting us in different ways with rising sea levels being the most apparent,” he said.
“During unexpected bad weather we witness the tides coming into the island and washing property away. Other issues we are facing include the erosion of our sea wall which was built in 2000. We can no longer rely on the sea wall to save us.
“Most of the members of the community that live on the island do not want to relocate because the island is a part of their identity. This island is very important for them as most of their ancestors have been buried here and they do not want to leave them behind.
“They do not want to stay at another place while they watch their island and ancestors drown. That is why the elders and the youths are still fighting.
“We are still trying to find a solution on how we can manage to safeguard this island.”
Few from the island have already relocated to the mainland in search of greener pastures. Those remaining are actively involved in planting mangroves around the island as a countermeasure to the rising sea levels.
But is that enough?
The future of the island may seem bleak but there is still hope.

Regional Pacific NDC Hub
The Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Hub was established at the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the UN Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) at the headquarters of the UNFCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany in 2017.
The Regional Pacific NDC Hub supports 14 countries in the region to enhance and implement their climate targets as per the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change adopted in 2015. Parties of the Paris Agreement are required to establish a NDC, which is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts.
The Regional Pacific NDC Hub’s Annual Focal Point Meeting was held from Aug 30 to Sept 1, in Nadi, Fiji this year. The event was themed “A Climate-Resilient Pacific: NDC Targets and the Way Forward” and aimed to advance climate resilience in the region.
The meeting witnessed discussions and reflections on strategic objectives, including improved NDC planning, strengthened enabling environments, accelerated NDC actions, and enhanced transparency in climate action.
Regional Pacific NDC Hub steering committee chair and Papua New Guinea (PNG) focal point Debra Sungi said: “We, the leaders, communities, and people of the Pacific, are at the forefront of the global impacts of climate change.
“We experience the rising sea levels, severe storms, and changing crop patterns before most other countries across the world.
“But at the same time, we are also at the forefront of taking action, from the local to the global level, to address these impacts.
“We see this across every community in the Pacific, where we are working to plant climate resilient crops, move our homes to higher grounds, install solar panels and take many further actions to mitigate and adapt towards the impacts of climate change on our region.”
Notable highlights included a fruitful dialogue among focal points, partners, and donors, fostering collaborative efforts for climate action in the Pacific.
The meeting concluded with a more forward-looking approach with recommendations and plans for the NDC Hub’s future endeavours, leaving participants inspired and committed to advancing climate resilience across the Pacific.

Media dialogue
The Regional Media Dialogue Meeting coincided with the Regional Pacific NDC Hub’s Annual Focal Point Meeting, featuring insightful sessions on the media’s role in climate discourse, emphasising the importance of media as a bridge between government and communities.
Over the three days, the media cohort consisting of journalists and editors from newsrooms around the Pacific engaged in conversation about the Pacific’s commitment to NDCs and the Paris Agreement while meeting with implementation partners and climate focal points to understand their priorities.
The main highlight of the meeting was the visit to Serua Island where the media team saw firsthand the effects of climate change.
Upon being welcomed by the kind people of the island and participating in the traditional welcoming ceremony, the team went on to take part in the mangrove potting exercise.
The activity led to a little over 200 mangroves potted which would be made ready to be nursed until ready for planting by the island’s youth group, who would continue the mangrove potting exercise until the number reached 1,000.
The team also interviewed members of the local community on their personal experience of the effects of climate change on the island.
Overall, the meeting fostered much-needed interaction between media representatives of the different countries to gain insights into the impacts of climate change, its’ effect on communities and allowed for capacity building for media to raise interest on the topic of climate change.

Many of the participants left the meeting with an extensive knowledge about climate change.
It was interesting to learn that many of us are already more vulnerable to climate impacts than we actually think, such as people living in small island nations and other developing countries.
Conditions like sea-level rise have advanced to the point where whole communities have had to relocate, and long droughts are putting people at risk of famine.
In the future, the number of “climate refugees” (a term used during the discussions) is expected to rise.
Also discussed were some of the challenges faced by newsrooms in reporting on climate change stories.
A lack of resources, relevance and competition with other stories, transparency of information, technical jargon were some of difficulties of reporting about climate change.
It was evident that we all must work together, both the media and stakeholders involved in the climate change space, and learn from each other to advance the work and people’s awareness on the issue.

Climate change in PNG
Climate change affects the world and there is no exception for PNG.
It is common knowledge that certain islands in Manus and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) are under threat.
Last week, the second National Climate Change Summit was held in Port Moresby.
Discussions were centered around climate justice and social inclusion with stakeholders from different sectors.
Environment Conservation and Climate Change Minister Simo Kilepa said that the issue of climate change was a priority agenda for the Government.
“Climate change remains a priority development agenda due to the fact that our country remains one of the vulnerable countries in the world in the face of climate change,” he said.
“The fight against climate change is not only about reducing the footprints of carbon emissions or protecting ecosystems; it is fundamentally about ensuring that the burdens and benefits of this fight are equitably distributed.
“Climate change knows no boundaries; it respects no one’s socio-economic status.
“But its impacts are felt most acutely by those who are least responsible for its causes.
“Vulnerable communities, like our own Carteret islands in AROB are marginalised and are bearing the brunt of extreme weather events such as sea level rise and disrupted livelihoods.
“We must recognise that climate action is, at its core, an act of social justice.
“It is a promise to our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations that we will not let their futures be stolen by our indecisions.
“We have taken steps to reduce our carbon footprint, to protect our forests and oceans, and to promote renewable energy transition. But we must do more, much more.
“Our transition to a greener economy must provide opportunities for decent work, job security, and improved living standards for all our citizens.

“It requires coordinated efforts, collaboration across sectors and smart innovative solutions.
“It demands that we leave no one behind and that we prioritize the most vulnerable among us.”
Whether you are a believer in climate change or not, in one way or another, it will have an effect on all our lives.
Climate change may not be an occurrence that we see every day but that does not mean we turn a blind eye to it.
Take heed and do your part in the fight against climate change.