TIGAK ISLANDS, Papua New Guinea–The Pacific Islanders face some of the most dire consequences of rising seas—from flooding to disruptions on various islands, saltwater intrusion and the inevitable relocation of people from disappearing shorelines. They face similar challenges from the changing climate, yet these are exacerbated by their remoteness and smallness. In the atoll communities, […]
Tag: Oceans
The Rising Stars of a Sinking Island
From rising seas an island finds sport, and a campaign to combat climate change
Return of the kanahe in Vava’u
NEIAFU, Vava’u – Mullets (scientific name Mugilidae) were caught in waters of Vava’u around 50 years ago. “We used to have kanahe (mullet) around our island shores,” says Ulaiasi Vaisima, the town officer and local businessman. “Then they disappeared and for most of our lifetime, we did not see this species of fish again.” Vaisima’s […]
Pacific journalism students win EJN Best Mobile Journalism Awards
For the first time, the University of the South Pacific awarded Best Mobile Journalism Awards on Environmental Reporting during its 18th USP Journalism Students Awards in October 19, 2018. These awards were created after the Internews’ Earth Journalism Network conducted a Mobile Journalism Workshop on Environmental Reporting with 30 USP journalism students last July 23, […]
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 […]
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 […]