Pasifika is at the frontlines of climate change
"Many of us still have friends and family in the islands. The Pacific do not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, yet every Pacific Island nation is being impacted today."
On September 8, 350 is helping organise rallies in cities and towns around Australia as part of a global day of action – #RiseForClimate – to demand our local leaders commit to building a fossil free world that puts people and justice before profit. No more stalling, no more delays: it's time for a fast and fair transition to 100% renewable energy for all. Find an event near you at www.350.org/rise.
In Brisbane, the Pacific Island community will hold an action calling on the Brisbane City Council to divest from fossil fuels and move to #StopAdani. Lisa Viliamu Jameson from 350 Pacific Brisbane explains why it's so important that we #RiseForClimate. RSVP to the Brisbane event!
By Lisa Viliamu Jameson
Pacific Island nations are on the front lines of climate change.
Being part of the Pacific Island diaspora in Brisbane, we feel very passionate about standing up for our ancestral homelands. If we lose our ancestral homelands, we lose a part of our identity. I grew up going to Samoa and I feel very connected to my family and culture. These connections are very sacred to me and are things I want to protect for my future children.
It worries me that the way of life for Pacific Islanders is already being impacted by climate change. A lot of our people rely on hunting and gathering to feed themselves and their families. Climate change is impacting food and fresh water supplies. It impacts the seasons. We hear stories of the fishing patterns changing and the coral bleaching. People are noticing the changes today and that worries me, because how will it be in 100 years' time?
We want to see Australia move towards renewable energy and to stop burning fossil fuels. We know that fossil fuels contribute significantly to climate change and we know that Pasifika is at the frontlines of climate change.
Many of us still have friends and family in the islands. The Pacific do not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, yet every Pacific Island nation is being impacted today.
We want to see a transition to clean energy. We have the resources in Australia to transition but huge mining corporations are making profit at the expense of indigenous people including Pasifika people. I am rising for climate not just for Pasifika but also for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are friends & family. We feel it is our duty to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters. We need climate justice and accountability.
Our Brisbane Pasifika community is rising for climate by using the very things that make us uniquely Pacific! We will use traditional dance, song and storytelling to rise for climate. Our action will have a Pasifika flavour by showcasing culture and ensuring that we involve all members of our community, both children and our elders. It will be a collaborative community event focusing on indigenous empowerment.
We will celebrate the resilience of our Pasifika people by displaying #PacificPawa (Pawa means Power in PNG Tok Pisin).
We'll be gathering at King George Square to send a message to local decisions makers that we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition to 100% renewable energy.
We want to send a clear message to decision makers that the science is clear, we have the momentum, the technology for the energy transition is ready, and we demand bold action now. We cannot wait any longer.
With climate impacts escalating and our Pacific people being on the frontlines of those impacts, we simply don't have the luxury to wait to see what bureaucratic negotiations have to offer.
The Pacific Climate Warriors are calling for local institutions to commit to a fast and fair transition to 100% renewable energy for all and are working from the ground up to tell the world that if Pacific Communities at all levels can lead a transition to a Fossil Free future than the global world must follow suit.
You can Rise in solidarity with the Pacific Climate Warriors by signing the Pacific Pawa Petition.
By signing this petition you are adding your name to the growing number of Pacific people and people all over the world who are calling on their local institutions to show the world what true Climate Leadership is.
Sign the Pacific Pawa petition.
RISE FOR CLIMATE >