<<

Weathering the Waves , Politics, and Vulnerability in Heather Lazrus, PhD - [email protected]

This poster presents Dissertation dissertaon research that Research examined percepons of climate The nine comprising the Tuvaluan Tuvalu archipelago arc across a stretch of the change impacts and related atmospheric hazards as well as the governance of central Pacific Ocean between 5˚ and 10˚ south and 176˚ and 179˚ east. In terms of The general picture of the future for small states that is painted by the Inter Small Island Developing States vulnerability to those impacts in Tuvalu, a Pacific Island . Tuvalu is on the front land area, Tuvalu is one of the world’s smallest totaling just 25.9 sq. km governmental Panel on Climate Change is deeply troubling. The concerns are highest line of climate change impacts and will feel them antecedent to most places on the across all nine islands. The have extremely low elevaons and lie generally less at the lowest elevaons above sea level. planet – as much for sociopolical reasons as for biophysical ones. than three meters above sea level. Temperature increases in the Pacific exceeded the global mean temperature rise of At its core, the research has two goals. One goal is to convey local people’s around 0.6˚C over the 20th century. Upward trends in sea level, driven by thermal observaons of environmental change in Tuvalu associated with climate variably and expansion and land‐ice melt, stand out against a dynamic background of tectonic change. The other goal is to idenfy and analyze the governance of vulnerability to movement and regular climate variability over the same me period. Seasonality and these changes at various scales – from household to internaonal – given Tuvalu’s decadal oscillaons that determine variability in ming, distribuon, and amount of parcular historical development. precipitaon are shiing. These climate signals indicate significant changes in the islands and herald corresponding changes in the ways in which people are accustomed Ethnographic methods offered insight into the meaning of climate change as it is to living on them. experienced in local everyday pracces of livelihood producon and the ways in which people come to understand and talk about climate change.

“Koa mafulifuli te tau o te aso…”

“TheThere are more strong winds now than before weather has changed…”

The direcon of prevailing winds at different mes of the year has changed Coconut stores can help sustain Focus groups on Nanumea Women’s resource map, Nanumea Now it can rain at anyme, even in the dry season people during , Nanumea There are more hot days now than before

Weather has become less predictable around here

The high des come higher and the low des stay lower Children plan in king de Erosion of the islands is geng worse flood outside of the Tuvalu Meteorological Office Short droughts are increasing

Broken seawall and saltwater Dancing skirt made from local The Governor General, Nanumea inundaon, Nanumea leaves, Nanumea

Nanumea Atoll is the northernmost island of the Tuvaluan Archipelago. Island Region Nation Populaon mobility and migraon, regional polical National concerns: Development, infrastructure, climate risk reducon Regional concerns: Island concerns: Social changes, , erosion alliance Tuvalu gained independence from Britain in 1978, National governance: The Pacific Island Region contains twenty‐two The people of Nanumea are descended from their becoming one of the smallest countries in the world. Tuvalu’s geographically remote Regional governance: Island governance: separate island states and territories inhabited by over 8 million people. Two regional community founder Tefolaha who had supernatural powers. The Pula Fenua (island and dispersed islands and limited capacity to harness natural resources for an export environmental organizaons, the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the chief) and Toku Fitu (circle of elders) sll trace their descent to his relaves. Current market contribute to its vulnerability to climate change. However, Tuvalu has taken a South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission, promote climate adaptaons in the policies of polical decentralizaon promise to reinvest power in these tradional strong naonal stance for a global agreement to reduce climate change to levels it region. There is a high potenal for Pacific governments to form a regional climate structures. , which are linked through legend and oral history to the environment. feels will prevent “dangerous” climate change – that which will make the islands regime, perhaps together with or , to cope with climate related Local governance of vulnerability to environmental change can also priorize local uninhabitable. Naonal development and internaonal relaons are dominated by problems. Migraon is expected to be a serious issue in the future as populaon concerns and needs. climate planning. The delegaon from Tuvalu was especially vocal at the recent COP mobility increases in response to environmental stresses raising quesons about 15 meeng in Copenhagen. cizenship and sovereignty.