Noqu Mata Vuvale. I don’t say this lightly. 

Noqu mata vuvale has a very special meaning in my Fijian language. It means you have opened the gates and entered our loving home and there is a reason why we have kept this special place for you. You are family.

As I sit down to write this reflective blog in the form of a personal letter, I have contemplated deeply on the remarkable journey we’ve embarked on. My heart swells with pride, love and gratitude for each and every one of you who has stood by our side in this fight for climate justice. Our journey to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has been one of resilience, determination, persistence and unwavering solidarity. And an incredible amount of hard work.

It needed a family, a global Vuvale.

How did it all start?

It all began with a small group of young law students in the Pacific now known as the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change who were fueled by a deep sense of duty to our people and our planet. Together with the Vanuatu government and a handful of civil society organizations, including Greenpeace, we dared to dream of holding the world’s largest polluters accountable for the devastating impacts of climate change on our beloved Pacific Islands and all nations being in vulnerable situations because of the climate emergency across the world.

We knew that our voices alone would not be enough to bring about the change we so desperately needed. So, we mobilised. We mobilised our communities, our youth, our elders, and our allies across the globe. From the bustling streets of New York to the remote atolls of Tuvalu, from the mountains of Papua New Guinea to the chaotic UNFCCC conferences, we marched hand in hand – chanting, singing, negotiating, and shouting for climate action. 

We sailed our Vaka (voyaging vessel) and canoes, guided by the inspiring leadership of the young students, to the United Nations General Assembly, carrying with us the hopes and dreams of millions who could not be there in person but were with us in deep mana (spirit). 

Together, we turned our Pacific Vaka into a symbol of hope, unity, and resilience just like our ancestors did when they sailed across continents and the expansive Pacific Ocean to build a future for the generations that will carry their legacy. A future grounded in the principles of love for the Vanua (land)  and the deepest connection to the Moana (ocean). 

We showed the world that the fight against climate change knows no boundaries and that we are all in this together, sailing towards a shared future of sustainability and harmony with nature. What started as a campaign of the Pacific is now a truly global movement.

For us, this was not just about our Pacific Vuvale. 

It was about the youth who did not have the opportunity to connect to their ancestral land because the spiritual soil had eroded away. 

It was about the families who have to pick the remaining bones of their loved ones from the shore as rising seas have uprooted graves and wiped away their dignified resting place. 

It was about the pregnant woman who travelled over 10 km to fetch water for her family as her nearby water sources were polluted by extractive industries and in the process losing both her life and her child. 

It was about the inspiring senior women who have taken their government to the European Court of Human Rights as heat waves have threatened their right to life.

This fight was for all of us.

Unveiling the Power of Evidence to Achieve Climate Justice

But our journey did not end there. We knew that to truly make a difference, we needed more than just marches and speeches. We needed evidence. Evidence that would speak louder than words and compel even the most powerful among us to listen.

So, we embarked on a mission to collect evidence from the most remote corners of our planet. Evidence that would move you to tears, to anger, to admiration, to love. All types of emotions are experienced through the most resilient human beings on earth. We listened to their stories of loss and resilience, of struggle and hope. And we knew that we could not rest until their stories were heard.

We gathered evidence to provide to States – all of the countries that were a part of this climate fight –  to help with their submissions as well as to create our own Greenpeace submission. Our submission included powerful stories from the Pacific, Philippines, Norway, Mexico, Southern Africa, Switzerland and the Caribbean and in due time we will share this with you as the lived realities of these powerful individuals and communities cannot live only in a submission, but must be seen by the entire world.

Australia Steps Up – Heading to the ICJ

And now, after months of tireless advocacy and relentless pressure on world governments, we have achieved a monumental victory. The Australian Government, led by Minister Penny Wong, has committed to submitting to the ICJ. This is a significant step forward, and we applaud Minister Wong and her government for taking this bold and necessary action for our global Vuvale.

But our work is far from over. We must ensure that our voices continue to be heard loud and clear. The Australian government has shown no indication of what is in the submission. We kindly ask the Australian Government to provide full transparency of the contents of their submission and to acknowledge their historical responsibilities and contributions to the climate crisis. We urge them to work closely, in genuine solidarity and kinship with the Pacific governments throughout this process, ensuring that our voices are at the forefront of the conversation. For this advisory opinion to truly protect the human rights of the current and future generations, Australia must be a true ally and a genuine supporter.

What’s next?

In the next phase, June 2024, States will have an opportunity to respond to other States’ submissions and you will find noticeable naysayers. But we will not be deterred. We will keep fighting. The oral hearings at the end of the year provide an opportunity to centre the voices of our communities on the ground, and we will not miss that opportunity.

As we await the next steps in this historic journey, let us remember the resilience and determination that brought us to this point. Let us take some time to acknowledge the incredible leadership of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change, the Vanuatu Government and the proud people of the Pacific. Let us continue to stand together, united in our commitment to protecting our planet and securing a sustainable future for generations to come.

It is time for our Vaka (vessel) to enter the gates of the world’s highest court and break down the walls of legal obstructions with love, compassion, resilience and the powerful energy of our people.

Thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of this extraordinary journey so far. And we cannot embark on the next phase without you. You will always have a cherished place on the Pacific Vaka. Together, we will win.

Loloma Levu (With the deepest love).

After over 2 weeks of climate negotiations, the 28th UN Climate Summit, COP28, has wrapped up in Dubai.

As world leaders and delegates negotiated on how to stay on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, 2023 was confirmed as the hottest year on record. And despite this obvious alarm bell, leaders still could not agree on a definitive phaseout of fossil fuels.

A lot happened at COP28 – here’s a rundown:

1. Launch of the Loss and Damage Fund

The good: The Loss and Damage Fund is finally operational.

The bad: Pledges fall short of what’s actually needed by climate-vulnerable countries.

Championed by Pasifika leaders, the fund allocates money to help developing countries cope with the impacts from the ongoing climate crisis. Even though the fund was first announced at COP27 last year, a lot of the funding arrangements were left up in the air. At COP28, wealthy nations responsible for climate change pledged a total of $700 million to the fund. Though it’s a good start, it’s still a drop in the ocean of what Pacific Island communities actually need to cover the costs of desperately needed climate adaptation and mitigation measures. Australia committed a pitiable $150 million to climate funding for the Pacific – a far cry from our fair share of $4 billion annually.

2. Australia signs Glasgow Statement

The good: Australia signs the Glasgow Statement.

The bad: It’s still unclear whether this will translate into much-needed action at home.

The Glasgow Statement is a joint agreement to end international public finance for fossil fuel projects. From 2016 to 2021, Australia funnelled $828 million in taxpayers money to overseas fossil fuel projects. Signing on to the Glasgow Statement means Australia will no longer finance international fossil fuel projects – a positive step that will help shift billions of dollars away from a polluting fossil fuel industry to clean renewables.

But domestic projects are not part of the agreement. The largest fossil fuel project in Australia up for Federal approval – Woodside’s monstrous Burrup Hub gas project – would release 6.1 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere if it goes ahead. This project is grossly incompatible with our net zero emissions targets, and would cause further climate harm to our Pasifika family. 

3. Global Stocktake

The good: There’s more awareness and unanimity around how off track we are from meeting the 1.5C goal

The bad: We are way off course from reaching the 1.5C goal

The disappointing:

The Global Stocktake is like a climate report card for countries, assessing how well they’re doing to reach their national emissions targets and limit global temperatures to 1.5C. COP28 made it undeniably clear just how severely off track we are from reaching that goal, helping to build consensus around the need for even more ambitious action, with minister Bowen saying that limiting global heating to 1.5C isn’t ‘up for compromise’. But, the horrifying reality is still how off course we are from meeting the 1.5C goal, and how quickly that window is closing.

The commitments made from this year’s COP and the actions taken after are critical, especially in meeting the 1.5C goal. For Pacific leaders and communities already on the frontlines of the climate crisis, 1.5C isn’t just a target, it’s a matter of ‘life or death’. 

What’s next? Where do we go from here?

After nearly 30 years of these climate change conferences, fossil fuels have finally been mentioned in the final text, but leaders fell short of calling for a phaseout, and the necessary finance required for developing nations to transition to clean energy.

After persistently calling for strong climate action and repeatedly sharing their stories of climate-induced trauma at these conferences, our Pasifika family deserved more.

It’s important to remember the human faces of the climate crisis, and what COP28 will mean for their lives – their homes, their cultures, languages, their very survival. With COP28 over, we’re armed with a new checklist of commitments to hold our leaders accountable. We have a responsibility to keep the pressure up, and make sure they follow through on these promises.

There is strong appetite for Australia to co-host COP31 with the Pacific. Yet Australia is the third largest exporter of fossil fuels – exports that cause immeasurable climate harm to the Pacific. If we want to be serious about hosting the UN Climate Conference in 2026, and reset our reputation as a leader in climate action – the Australian government must say no to all new fossil fuels.

Sign our petition now.

The announcement comes as Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen arrives in Dubai for Week 2 of COP28, where fraught battles over fossil fuel phase out and climate finance are set to be waged.

Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Shiva Gounden, said that “to meet its responsibility to ‘the Pacific Family’, Australia must take action to phase out fossil fuels and to make fair contributions to the Loss and Damage fund.”

“I am frustrated by another piecemeal announcement from the Australian government that does not go far enough to address the climate-driven loss and damage that is devastating communities across the Pacific.

“$150 million barely scratches the surface of what Pacific communities need to deal with the impacts of the climate crisis — peanuts, considering the billions of taxpayer dollars poured into the fossil fuel industry as subsidies every year, which could be channelled towards supporting our Pacific family.

“As the third largest fossil fuel exporter in the world, we can not shirk our responsibility to help pay for the climate damage we have helped to create. The funds committed today will not save the Pacific from the climate destruction it is facing — we must tackle the root causes and stop approving new fossil fuel projects now.

“Australia has a responsibility under the UNFCCC process to help fill the Loss and Damage Fund, operationalised on Day 1 of this year’s COP. Instead, we are seeing unilateral side deals which are not in the spirit of the COP process, nor our obligations under the international agreements to which we have signed up. Australia must do better.”

Head of Advocacy at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Dr Susie Byers, acknowledged the finance package as a good first step, but urged the Australian government to go much further.

“This finance package, while welcome, is a down payment on the real action required to meet our responsibilities as a major contributor to the climate crisis globally.

“It does not negate our obligation to make fair payments to the Loss and Damage fund, a hard-fought victory at COP27 that will help support those countries least responsible for creating the climate crisis to deal with its impacts.

“Of course we must help the world prepare for the climate disasters that are already coming towards us, but we must also stop making the problem worse. By expanding, subsidising and exporting coal and fossil gas, we are exporting climate harm to our Pacific neighbours and to the whole world.

“We can not afford another COP without radical action and a commitment to phase out fossil fuels globally. Australia must help fill the Loss and Damage fund and outline a clear, ambitious plan to phase out fossil fuels for good.”

—ENDS—

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is on the ground in Dubai during COP28 and can provide a range of COP delegates, experts and Pacific climate leaders for interviews and commentary.

What is COP28, and why does it matter?

The 28th global climate conference, COP28, has kicked off with growing frustration and doubts about its outcomes. Despite twenty-seven years of meetings and scientific consensus on fossil fuels driving the climate crisis, emissions and global temperatures continue to reach record highs. High emitting countries are still debating whether fossil fuels are the problem, while low-lying island nations in the Pacific battle with the devastating consequences of their inaction.

But COP28 still matters for the simple reason that the most vulnerable communities are still fighting to make sure it does; because they can’t endure another COP filled with incredibly slow progress, complicated processes and broken promises.

Some background

COP, which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’, is an annual gathering for countries to discuss how to tackle the threat of climate change. The ‘parties’ are the countries that, in 1992, signed the first ever climate agreement known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or the UNFCCC. The Convention requires  countries to continue investing in climate research, and most importantly, to limit greenhouse gas emissions which cause  accelerated global warming.

In 2015, at COP21, countries signed another landmark climate treaty – the Paris Agreement. For the first time, countries promised to take national action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The 1.5 target is crucial to avoid the most catastrophic impacts from climate change, especially for low-lying, small island nations like those in the Pacific. To meet this goal, nations agreed on national emissions targets. Since then, a critical discussion point at successive COPs has been to assess progress made towards these targets, and ensure they’re upheld.  

Discussions and tensions at this year’s COP

COP28 is taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Representatives from 197 nations are attending, as well as other observers looking to influence the summit’s outcomes.

Over the next two weeks, governments will focus on urgently needed measures to address the climate emergency, the most important being a serious commitment from major carbon-emitting countries to phase out fossil fuels. A recent UN report shows that the world is severely off track to meeting the Paris Agreement goals, largely due to the sustained growth of the fossil fuel industry. The report also found a widening gap between governments’ promises of stronger climate action and their national plans.

Talks will also centre on operationalizing the Loss and Damage fund – a historic outcome from last year’s COP, where wealthier nations agreed to financially compensate climate vulnerable states. The concept of Loss and Damage had been championed tirelessly by Pacific advocates as early as 1971. The idea behind it is that developed nations, fueling and benefiting from the climate crisis, should pay for the losses and damages experienced by those most vulnerable and least able to cope with its effects. Pacific Island nations like Vanuatu are already bearing the horrific consequences of climate inaction, with the relocation of six entire towns as a result of extreme weather events.

There’s a lot of controversy and pessimism surrounding this year’s COP because the UAE is among the world’s top ten oil-producing nations that has consistently opposed a rapid fossil fuel phaseout. The appointment of Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, CEO of a prominent state-owned oil company, as President of the climate talks has only added to concerns. Fossil fuel giants have a well-documented, decades-long history of countering climate science through multibillion dollar disinformation campaigns. They wield enormous influence over government decisions and global policies. This year, the number of fossil fuel lobbyists at the COP has hit an all time high of nearly 2,500 – far outnumbering the number of Pasifika delegates.

COP28 started with controversy last week, as leaked documents revealed plans for secret oil deals, and al-Jaber claimed in the opening days of the conference that there is “no science” behind the need for a fossil fuel phaseout.  It is extremely unfortunate that these comments were made, but the COP has moved on and is now focussing on the task at hand: ensuring big climate polluters like Australia listen to the demands of our Pasifika family by making strong climate commitments.

Why COP (still) matters

Each COP is exhausting, complex, and often frustrating. Pasifika delegates and activists have to travel across multiple time zones and many must secure funding support in order to have a seat at the table during these crucial climate talks.

But at the heart of it, it is a privilege to be at COP. It is a privilege to be able to share the stories of communities both in Australia and the Pacific, and to fight for what we hold dear.

What comes out of this COP will affect billions of people across the globe. That is why we must be truly ambitious in our asks whilst addressing the root cause of the climate emergency – the burning of fossil fuels. 

Meaningful climate action from world leaders can save lives. In a world where global temperature rise is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, people can stay on their lands, practice their own cultures, and speak their own languages. They won’t have to repeatedly rebuild from Category 5 cyclones, king tides, droughts, bushfires, and floods. This is what we are fighting for at every COP, and we will continue to do so.

Our family in the Pacific are feeling the worst effects of the climate crisis, therefore it is Pasifika voices that we must amplify as we pressure the Australian Government to take the most critical step in meaningful climate action: phasing out fossil fuels completely.

Sign the petition to demand the Australian Government stop all new coal, oil and gas projects now.

Let me introduce you to Tuvalu, a breathtaking atoll nation facing immense climate impacts. Home to approximately 11,000 people, many of its islands and islets stand just 2 metres above sea level, leaving them vulnerable to the rising tides.

This paradise is facing many grave challenges caused by climate change: land salinity, rising sea levels, droughts, extreme heat, cyclones, and coastal erosion are just some of the struggles they confront daily.

Despite these challenges, we’ve heard incredibly powerful stories about how climate change is impacting everyday lives and how Tuvaluans are standing up to protect and preserve their vibrant cultures, their lands, their languages and their communities.

We are even more determined than before to carry these stories of strength and realities of climate impacts with us to the world’s highest court as part of the historic Pasifika-led campaign for climate justice.

From the moment we arrived, the Tuvaluan community welcomed us with open arms and hearts. They prepared for weeks to showcase their vibrant culture, an important part of the Tuvaluan communal fabric that could be lost to climate change, and made us feel like an integral part of their kaiga (family).

Picture this: our beloved Rainbow Warrior, sailing gracefully through the vast Pacific Ocean, welcomed to Tuvalu with a breathtaking traditional Maululu ceremony. Canoes filled with people from different islands, singing hymns with harmonious melodies, guided our ship to dock. The feeling was indescribable – truly special!

Traditional paopao (canoes) escorted the arriving ship to shore, where those aboard were welcomed by the community of Tuvalu, civil society groups, and addressed by Representatives from the Government of Tuvalu including the Hon. Prime Minister Kausea Natano and the Hon. Minister for Finance and Climate Change Seve Paeniu. © Greenpeace / Sam Pedro

During our stay, we engaged in open boat sessions with communities, schools, and civil society organisations, learning from each other and celebrating the strength of Tuvalu’s culture and their global leadership fighting for climate justice. The activist training onboard the Rainbow Warrior was a beautiful exchange of knowledge and passion.

Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us. We ate together, danced together, laughed together, cried together, walked together, shared together and we will fight together to preserve and protect our Tuvalu and our Pacific.

Now, we set sail for Suva, Fiji, where our focus will be to collaborate with communities, amplify the demands of climate justice activists, and foster discussion, talanoa, action, and friendship.

Fakafetai Lasi (thank you very much) for your love and for walking with us on this journey.

Fetaui Tuvalu – we will see you again!

Alofa kae aava lasi kia koutou (much love and respect to you all)

The Rainbow Warrior III is now in Vanuatu – one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. We are providing a platform for communities, activists and politicians to show how they are leading the world in their fight for climate justice.

Vanuatu is also the birthplace of a groundbreaking legal campaign taking climate change to the world’s highest court. For us Pasifika peoples, this opportunity has the potential to shape our existence, our right to survival, equality, water, food, culture, language, education and health.

A successful legal opinion could protect the human rights of current and future generations and finally hold polluters accountable for their actions. But this depends on big polluting countries like Australia making a strong submission to the International Court, and this is where you come in!

Will you stand with us and urge Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong to make a strong case for climate action at the world’s highest court?

I’LL SIGN MY NAME

Warriors at the Rainbow Warrior arrival Ceremony in Port, Vila Vanuatu.  © Greenpeace / Island Roots

Our journey in Vanuatu has been filled with many colourful and empowering events that have showcased the resilience and strength of Pasifika communities.

From art exhibitions to fashion shows, community gatherings to singing, dancing, and sharing meals, the energy and love have left an indelible mark on our hearts.

Local fashion designers in Port Vila put on a vibrant fashion show onboard the helideck of the Rainbow Warrior. © Greenpeace / Island Roots

A significant highlight was our visit to the village of Eton, where we immersed ourselves and deeply felt the cultural pulse of the community. Community members shared their stories and their fight for climate justice and gifted us beautiful handmade items, symbolising their love and connection to the land. The Eton community live on the West coast of Vanuatu, exposed to rough seas and rising tides on low-lying ground. The community hall, a place the community seek refuge during cyclones, was flooded during back-to-back cyclones earlier this year. Droughts are also anticipated for the dry season.

Despite these hardships, the community opened their hearts and homes to us. They fed us. Our children played together and by the end of our visit, we were family.

Weaving workshop in Eton. Staff and crew had the opportunity to weave and understand the importance of coconut and pandanus (vulnerable to climate impacts) in all aspects of Pacific life. These are usually referred to as the “tree of life” in the Pacific. © Greenpeace / Island Roots

We carry these stories with us, weaving together the vibrant tapestry of Pacific Island communities, and sharing their struggles, strength, and determination with the world. Vanuatu’s tireless efforts to combat climate issues inspire us to continue the fight for a better future.

Together, we stand in solidarity, fighting for what is right and embracing the voices of those most impacted by the climate crisis.

Tankyu Tumas

Shiva

This is how we welcome people into our Pasifika families in the beautiful islands of Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji and it will be the welcome that will be provided to the Rainbow Warrior when she lands on the shores of the Pacific Islands next week.

The Rainbow Warrior will continue its journey to the Pacific — this time, in support of a groundbreaking Pasifika led legal campaign, taking climate harm to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice.

Join our campaign for an 8-week inspiring journey where you’ll meet and connect with the most powerful activists and social justice warriors in the world.

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN

We will be collaborating with the most resilient human beings with connections to cultures deeply rooted in respect, trust and love spanning thousands of years. You can also follow our voyage through our interactive map below. 

FOLLOW THE JOURNEY

The beautiful Pacific nations are made up of over 7,500 islands across one quarter of the Earth in the largest ocean in the world. Our Pasifika ancestors were some of the greatest navigators using nothing but stars, planets and constellations. It was and is all about being one with everything around us and our connection with the Moana or Wasawasa – the ocean.  

Greenpeace has a long and proud history of working alongside local communities to protect the oceans, lands, and people of the Pacific.

We will be travelling to Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji to celebrate beautiful cultural traditions and document human rights stories from the impacts of climate change. These accounts will be included as part of the legal case at the International Court of Justice.

The Journey

Stop One: Cairns

The Pacific Campaign Launch. ‘Mura Kalmel Sipa’: Together we stand.

In Cairns, the Rainbow Warrior welcomes First Nations leaders from the Guda Maluyligal in the Torres Strait, Uncle Paul and Uncle Pabai – plaintiffs in the Australian Climate Case who have taken the Australian government to court for failing to protect their island homes from climate change.

Uncle Paul and Uncle Pabai alongside other inspiring Australian climate litigants like Anjali Sharma will travel on the Rainbow Warrior to the Pacific in a show of solidarity with communities around the world taking action into their own hands after decades of government failure to act on climate change.

Stop Two: Port Vila, Vanuatu

“We can change the world if we change the law”.

Vanuatu is the most climate-vulnerable nation in the world and is also one of the most ambitious countries in tackling climate change. 

Greenpeace is bringing climate litigants from around the world together in Port Vila, from Bonaire in the Caribbean to the Philippines and Australia in support of a historic legal climate campaign.

Born in Vanuatu, this ground-breaking legal campaign is taking climate justice to the world’s highest court – The International Court of Justice –  in a case to protect the human rights of those most impacted by climate change and see legal consequences for big polluters.

Stop Three: Erromango, Vanuatu

Bearing witness to loss and damage

Erromango, a culturally rich island in Vanuatu, experienced severe damage from multiple cyclones, including a rare and devastating ‘double cyclone event’ this year. 

Greenpeace will join the Erromango community to celebrate beautiful cultural traditions and document human rights stories of the impacts of climate change, encompassing the rights to life, health, food, water, sanitation, housing, self-determination, culture, and development. 

These accounts will be included as part of the International Court of Justice submission process.

Stop Four:  Funafuti, Tuvalu

Leadership and Solutions from the frontlines of the climate crisis

Tuvalu is an atoll nation with a population of approximately 11,000. ​​Tuvalu’s land rarely exceeds 3m above sea level, making it highly vulnerable to rising sea levels. 

Tuvalu also became famous as the first country in the world to create a digital replica of itself on the metaverse to preserve its culture in the face of climate loss.

Greenpeace will engage with climate leaders and highlight the resilience of Pacific communities who are at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis. 

Greenpeace will offer action training on the Rainbow Warrior ship for local activists.

Stop Five: Suva, Fiji 

Co-powering with communities in the region

Bula! Fiji holds significant diplomatic and economic ties with Australia. It faces severe impacts from intense cyclones, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures, affecting both its GDP and community resilience. 

The Rainbow Warrior’s return to the Pacific Islands is an opportunity to strengthen relationships with civil society, non-governmental organisations, and allies in the region. Greenpeace’s focus is to collaborate with communities, amplify the visions of climate justice activists, and foster discussion, talanoa, action, and friendship.

Suva, home to the University of the South Pacific, witnessed the birth of this groundbreaking legal campaign bringing climate change to the highest court in the world. To bring this full circle, Greenpeace will co-host a University open day with Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), who played a vital role in the ICJAO campaign.

Stop Six: Kioa and Rabi, Fiji

Fiji, grappling with climate migration challenges of its own, is home to Kioa and Rabi islands, each with distinct narratives of relocated communities due to the impacts of climate change. 

The Kioa community’s journey, initiated after World War II from Tuvalu’s Vaitupu Island, serves as a global inspiration.

Greenpeace will join leaders, civil society groups, climate impacted individuals, and climate organisations from across the Pacific on Kioa Island for discussions as part of the ongoing Kioa Climate Declaration. 

This grassroots regional initiative places Pacific demands at the forefront of conversations surrounding Loss & Damage. The commitment to a Loss & Damage mechanism at COP27 ensures that funds from the most polluting countries are directed towards supporting developing nations disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.

Following this, the Rainbow Warrior will journey to neighbouring Rabi Island to commemorate World Indigenous People’s Day and stand in solidarity through a candlelit vigil, supporting global climate litigants making submissions to the International Court of Justice. 

Stop Seven: Suva, Fiji

Rainbow Warrior says Sota Tale to the Pacific

Sota Tale, bye for now, to our Pacific friends, allies and leaders whose strength and leadership have inspired us so much during our Pacific tour.

This journey is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and collaborate with communities, amplifying the visions of climate justice activists, and foster discussion, talanoa, action, and friendship.

We will weave together stories from Pacific Island communities and share with the world the unique threats to culture that are being faced, but also the need for collective response on the journey towards climate justice.

Culture and cultural connection for our Pasifika people is what unites us. It’s what makes us different. It’s what defines us, it’s what breathes life or wairua (the spirit of the soul) into us. Our culture is our identity, our culture is our mana, our culture is a significant part of the tapa (fabric) of our lives.

It is about fighting for what is right and creating space for people who are at the front lines of the climate crisis with the most progressive of solutions.

I look forward to bringing you along on this journey merging the cultural pulse of the Pacific with the cultural pulse of Greenpeace itself. Forging a united path across islands and oceans. This journey is about listening, it’s about heart to heart healing. It’s about learning, growing and sharing solidarity with each other. 

I started this blog with something that is severely threatened by climate change and something that we hold close to our beings –  our languages stemming from our beautiful Vanua and fenua (land). I will end this email with the same. There is only one language when it comes to fighting for what is right – the language of the soul.

Tankyu Tumas, Fakafetai Lasi,  Vinaka Vakalevu