MANILA, Philippines–Nowhere is climate change more evident than in small, low-lying island nations, where entire populations face existential risks to the foreseen intensification of storm surges, cyclones and rise in sea levels. The Pacific Islands have been hit particularly hard. However, people in the region are determined to adapt to these growing realities. In Palau, […]
Tag: Climate
UN climate change report a call for urgent action
SUVA, Fiji– The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released its most comprehensive and critical report on climate change for years to come. Its findings show the profound impacts on human life and the decisive actions necessary to keep global temperature rise below 2 or 1.5 degrees Celsius, as well as the huge differences […]
Coastal villagers in Papua New Guinea struggle to confront climate change
Over 200,000 people live in the New Ireland Province north of mainland Papua New Guinea which is surrounded by the Bismarck Sea. Climate change poses a challenge to the lives and livelihoods of the people in the communities, particularly in Panachais Village, which is vulnerable to sea level rise and high tides. For most of […]
Pacific Islands on the front line of climate change: UN chief
The concerns of the Pacific Islands, on the front line of climate change, are at the heart of the United Nations work, said Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, at a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), an intergovernmental organization, which holds UN Observer status. The meeting, at UN Headquarters in New York, comes shortly after […]
Living with rising seas in the Pacific Islands
As the oceans continue to rise due to a warming world on the coastline of the Pacific region, island residents have not given up hope. They try to find a way to adapt even with limited resources. Moce Islanders from Lau Group in Fiji, for instance, have to leave the land their families have lived […]
Ouvéa, a fragile paradise
Nicknamed “the island closest to paradise,” Ouvéa is considered one of the most beautiful atolls in the Pacific. Part of the lagoons of New Caledonia, it was registered in 2008 as a World Heritage Site under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Its exceptional biodiversity, long preserved by a way of life […]
Winds of Change in the Isles
This is a story of a dream to revive ancient canoe technology in the Pacific Islands as a cultural tourism venture. It is a story of wonder and pride and holds the answers to the future.
Photo Essay : On the Frontline of Climate Change and Displacement
A string of remote Pacific island nations is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as rising seas, storms surges, land subsidence (sinking), changes to rainfall and stronger cyclones. The sheer variety of challenges faced by communities is illustrative at the Korova Settlement in Suva, Fiji. Korova is a coastal settlement with only […]
Exodus of survival: A family’s refuge under threat
NESTLED among a small patch of mangroves on the tip of the Suva peninsula, hidden out of sight from the bustling city that continues to expand close by, the people of Korova exist with the bare necessities and an ancient past they’re holding on to for their survival. Since arriving on this once rubbish dump […]
New Coconut Planting Method
The Vanuatu Government is currently working on a National Coconut Strategy to revive the coconut industry of Vanuatu, due to the effects of climate change and cyclones growing increasingly stronger.