Maina Talia and Seimila P. Filioma are two of a group of four young leaders from Tuvalu and Kiribati who visited Australia in late May and early June as part of a leadership training program organised by the Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP), an initiative of the Edmund Rice Centre.
Since it began in 2006 the PCP has sought opportunities for islander communities to be heard so that industrialised nations might listen and take heed of their moral obligations with respect to greenhouse gas emissions and the impact on vulnerable nations. The Tuvalu Climate Action Network (TuCAN) chose Maina and Seimila to take part in the two-week program aimed at providing young leaders with opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills and develop their experience and confidence in climate change advocacy.
Traditional ways of life on Tuvalu and Kiribati, the most vulnerable of the low-lying Pacific island atolls, are being destroyed by climate change. Maina and Seimila, who also visited the South Sydney Uniting Church in Waterloo, want Australia to rethink its climate change policy.
“We are the most vulnerable of the most vulnerable countries,” Maina said. “Since we don’t have any mountains or rivers, for us to adapt is very difficult. It is a burden to the people of Tuvalu as to how they can adapt. Now when it comes to high tide you can see the tide everywhere.”
Tuvalu is a small island nation, with a population of around 11,000 people and landmass of 27 square kilometres. The highest point on the island is less than four metres above sea level. Rainwater harvesting is the main source of fresh water.
“Our people continue to experience the dramatic effects of climate change on our islands,” Maina said. “Our traditional root crops, such as pulaka and taro, are gradually dying because of seawater intrusion and frequent droughts. Fish poisoning has become a major issue, due to increased temperature and acidification of seawater. King tides, combined with strong winds, make things much worse.”
Seimila expressed her hope that the youth in Australia might take action on climate change. “They will be the leaders of tomorrow,” she said. Seimila also mentioned the need for funding education programs in her country – to help young people learn knowledge and skills for adaptation and innovation. “We are grateful for the hospitality we’ve received in Australia. Groups like the Australian Youth Climate Coalition are leading by example,” Seimila said.
On meeting with politicians at parliament house in Canberra, Maina said: “We had a good chance to talk to the opposition members, with our hopes that the more people we share our stories with, the more they will spread. They seemed to be very interested in listening to our stories and our cries. To my great disappointment, we were not able to meet with Tony Abbott’s ministers. They were busy with other commitments.”
“Our hopes lie heavily on the Australian government and the Australian people. We have always considered Australia as our big brother, our neighbouring country to stand up for us. Therefore, we are here to appeal to our big brother to take the lead in climate change actions, by telling other industrialised countries that strong action to reduce greenhouse gases is needed now.”
