Massive Migration in the Pacific Ocean: 'This Fight Against the Water Concerns Everyone'
A gigantic migration is taking place in the Pacific Ocean. More and more people have to leave their homes, fleeing from the water.
In Fiji, hundreds of villages are being relocated because they are becoming uninhabitable due to climate change. The island nation is one of the first countries in the world to have developed a systematic, national plan to move hundreds of vulnerable communities to higher ground.
During a climate meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu starting Monday, the island states in the Pacific Ocean are calling attention to their precarious situation. The meeting is a consolation prize for the region after Australia, together with the Pacific islands, had to withdraw as host of COP31, the most important climate summit of the year.
After years of political wrangling, Turkey remained the only candidate. It will host the summit in Antalya in November.
Moved three times
The village of Vunidogoloa on the island of Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island, was the first village to be relocated with government assistance in 2014. The 66-year-old Sailosi Ramatu was the village chief at the time of the move.
For ten years, the community had discussions among themselves and with politicians. "We did not want to leave our village, but we had to."
The residents did everything they could to stay. The village was located on the coast, and the community lived from fishing. But due to rising sea levels, floods occurred more and more frequently. Two seawalls were built, but one by one they disappeared under water or were destroyed by soil erosion. They moved their houses gradually further from the coast.
"I have moved three times in the village, but it was not enough. The water regularly came up to our knees," says Ramatu. He stands with his white rain boots on the remains of his house. Only a piece of wall still sticks out above the sand. "At one point, we were just like an island, surrounded by water," he says.
29 centimeters
Low-lying countries in the Pacific Ocean, such as Fiji, but also Tuvalu and Kiribati, are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The temperature here is rising on average faster than in the rest of the world, and sea levels are also rising rapidly.
Near Suva, the capital of Fiji, the sea level rose by 29 centimeters between 1993 and 2024. The expectation is that sea level rise near Fiji will continue steadily. The pace depends on the speed of climate change. This will also increase the chance of flooding.
In Fiji alone, about 700 communities are extremely at risk due to climate change. The government is actively relocating the most vulnerable villages, but this is complex, expensive, and time-consuming. Moreover, it does not always go well.
Although the relocation of the 150 inhabitants of Vunidogoloa took place twelve years ago, the new village is still not fully properly arranged. The government had houses built but forgot to provide them with kitchens or laundry facilities. In addition, the new village is located on a slope, causing it to flood again when it rains heavily.
Ramatu regularly lobbies the government for more support for his community. "The drainage system at the new location is not maintained, so we still have to deal with flooding and erosion," he says. But it is about much more than just material loss.
The move also broke the spiritual and cultural connection with the land, which is so important to Fiji's indigenous iTaukei population. Ramatu gets tears in his eyes when he thinks of his parents, who are buried in the old village. "They worked so hard to give me a good life. I still find it difficult that I had to leave my home."
In September, the United Nations adopted a historic resolution stating that island states retain their sovereignty, borders, and nationality even if their territory is completely swallowed by rising sea levels.
Working together
Still, Ramatu tries to temper his expectations of the upcoming climate meetings. "How many COPs have we had already? The temperature and the sea are still rising," he says.
He has a request for the world. "Let's work together to tackle the consequences of climate change. This big fight concerns everyone. We may be experiencing the harshest effects, but the impact is felt everywhere. No one can do it alone; we need each other."
The island group Tuvalu is slowly disappearing into the sea. Correspondent Meike Wijers visited Tuvaluan climate refugees in New Zealand in 2022: