Political Reviews Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 taberannang korauaba, kelly g marsh, clement yow mulalap, christina sablan, tyrone j taitano Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 lorenz gonschor, margaret mutu, christina newport, forrest wade young The Contemporary Pacic, Volume 27, Number 1, 209–293 © 2015 by University of Hawai‘i Press 209 232 the contemporary pacific • 27:1 (2015) Un dångkalo na si Yu'os ma'åse gec, Guam Election Commission website. (thank you) to Attorney Julian Aguon, http://www.gec.guam.gov/ [accessed 14 Edward Alvarez, Michael Bevacqua, July 2014] Rita Nauta, and Maria Pangelinan Governor’s Office website. Press releases, for generously accommodating our Office of Governor Eddie Baza Calvo. requests for information in the writ­ http://www.governor.guam.gov/ ing of this article and to Shannon J Guam Legislature website. Murphy and Julian Aguon for their http://www.guamlegislature.com/ review of an earlier version of it. Guampedia. 2014. What is FestPac? http://www.guampedia.com/what-is References -festpac/ [accessed 24 July 2014] kuam, kuam.com: Guam’s News Net- Across the Water in Time. 2013. work. Hagåtña. http://www.kuam.com/ Documentary film. http://www .acrossthewaterintime.com/ Marianas Business Journal. Biweekly. Hagåtña, Guam. mbjguam.com ap, Associated Press. 2013. Audit: Guam Government Owes $1b in Long Term MV, Marianas Variety, Guam Edition. Debt. Yahoo News, 1 July. http://news Weekdays. Harmon, Guam. .yahoo.com/audit-guam-government http://mvguam.com/ -owes-1b-205101592.html [accessed PDN, Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, Guam. 11 July 2014] http://www.guampdn.com/ Crossan, Rob. 2014. 6 of World’s Most pnc, Pacific News Center, Sorenson Colorful Colonial Holdouts. cnn, 17 June. Media Group. Hagåtña, Guam. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/16/travel/ http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/ colonial-holdouts/?c&page=1#cnn-disqus Saipan Tribune. Daily. Garapan, Saipan. -area [accessed 19 June 2014] http://www.saipantribune.com/ Draft seis, Draft Supplemental Envi- UN, United Nations. 2014. The United ronmental Impact Statement Guam and Nations and Decolonization. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana http://www.un.org/en/decolonization/ Islands Military Relocation (2012 Road- nonselfgovterritories.shtml [accessed map Adjustments). 2014. Prepared by 23 July 2014] Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, for Joint Guam US nps, National Park Service. 2014. Asan Bay Overlook Memorial Wall of Program Office, Washington dc, under Names, War in the Pacific National Contract Number n62742-11-d-1801, Historical Park. http://www.nps.gov/wapa/ Delivery Order 0011. April. planyourvisit/upload/Asan-Bay-Overlook Eilperin, Juliet. 2014. Obama Proposes -Memorial-Wall-Names.pdf [accessed Vast Expansion of Pacific Marine 24 July 2014] Sanctuary. Washington Post, 17 June. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ obama-will-propose-vast-expansion-of -pacific-ocean-marine-sanctuary/2014/ Kiribati 06/16/f8689972-f0c6-11e3-bf76 -447a5df6411f_story.html [accessed This review focuses on the debate on 4 Aug 2014] climate change and its implications for political reviews • micronesia 233 policymaking and attitudes in Kiribati. awareness and understanding of cli- It also deals with how the govern- mate change. The latter committee has ment has represented this issue to the been actively involved in regional and community and to the outside world international climate-change meet- through the local and international ings. Currently, the Kiribati Adapta- media and other channels and the tion Programme (kap) is championing impacts of such communications on adaptation strategies on the ground. I-Kiribati understanding of the issues. The risks associated with climate The review also looks at disjunc- change have been recognized around tures between what is written in the the world, including impacts on country’s national development plan water quality, land, and soil, as well and what has been said by President as increased possibilities of severe Anote Tong, as well as the disconnects drought and flooding. In reality, there between scientific reports about and is little Kiribati can do to reduce citizens’ knowledge of risks associated its vulnerability, and actions being with climate change and possibilities undertaken so far are described as the to address it at all levels. As the first “no regret” measures—steps that can review of Kiribati to appear in these be beneficial even in the absence of pages in almost two decades, rather climate change. The country’s strate- than being comprehensive, it seeks gies to tackle development challenges only to highlight and discuss key and climate-change risks are docu- trends and themes that have emerged mented in its development plan for in this debate in hope of suggesting 2012–2015 (Government of Kiribati useful directions for future reviews. 2012). However, this plan only briefly Kiribati’s position on climate details its climate-change adaptation change has always been, and will strategies, and most of the presi- continue to be, centered on the notion dent’s views about climate change as of “disappearing nations” (Korauaba published by the local, regional, and 2012). This position is driven by international media have little con- scientific findings that low-lying atolls nection to this plan. For example, the such as Kiribati are in danger of sink- plan does not mention buying “float- ing due to climate change and sea-level ing metal islands” or purchasing land rise. Most of the land in Kiribati is in Fiji. In relation to the government’s currently only two to three meters newly purchased 6,000 hectares on above sea level. The “sinking feeling” Vanua Levu in Fiji, Tong said in 2013 is evidenced in impacts that people are that his government had no plans already experiencing and is supported to develop it but instead bought the by growing consensus among world land as an investment (Lagan 2013). leaders and scientists. In response to More recently, however, Tong indi- these threats, in 2012 the Kiribati cated the opposite in a Radio New government established its Climate Zealand International interview, when Change Study Team (ccst), and the he stated, “The Kiribati government Kiribati Parliament set up its Parlia- intends exploring options of com- ment Select Committee on Climate mercial, industrial and agricultural Change (psccc) to promote people’s development of the estate. This could 234 the contemporary pacific • 27:1 (2015) involve fish canning, beef and/or Pilot Scheme, or pswps) was later poultry farming, fruit and vegetable introduced by Australia. On the other cultivation, to name a few” (rnzi hand, Fiji has declared that it will not 2014b). turn its back on Kiribati should the Central to our understanding need arise to evacuate its population of the issue is the United Nations (see, eg, Liljas 2014). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate In 2006, the Kiribati govern- Change’s latest report, which confirms ment first declared the creation of that climate change is caused mainly the Phoenix Islands Protected Area by human activity (ipcc 2014). The (pipa). In 2008, formal regula- report goes on to identify small island tions were adopted for it, and two nations such as Kiribati as in danger years later it was added to the list of sinking, indicating as well that of unesco World Heritage sites. In some people are already struggling October 2013, Tong’s government to survive. President Tong has cam- established a $2.5 million endowment paigned vigorously on the idea that for pipa, which was matched by a Islanders are the victims and others grant in the same amount from the are the culprits. He has also claimed Global Conservation Fund of Con- that his people will one day have to servation International to start a trust abandon their country and migrate to fund to preserve the marine resources other countries (see, eg, Warne 2014). for future generations (iucn 2013). The term “climate-change refugees” The government has opened a new has troubled President Tong, who embassy at the United Nations in New stresses that people should “migrate York; the country also has embassies with dignity” (Lagan 2013). As a in Taiwan and Fiji (pina 2013). Refut- long-term plan to prepare its people ing criticisms regarding the high cost for migration, the government has of foreign embassies, the president invested in education and upgraded maintains that the new embassies are the Tarawa Technical Institute to part of his government’s foreign policy Australia and New Zealand stan- to ensure that they do not miss out on dards. Australia and New Zealand any opportunity and that their voices have been identified as two possible are heard at the international level. destinations for the people of Kiri- In May 2013, Jimmie Rodg- bati. However, the two countries have ers, head of the Secretariat of the publicly dismissed the idea of accept- Pacific Community (spc), stated, ing climate-change refugees, saying “Pacific islands are the victims of they are assisting Kiribati in differ- industrial countries unable to con- ent ways. Every year, New Zealand trol their carbon dioxide emissions. accepts seventy-five individuals from The truth of the matter is that we Kiribati to become residents under have no option but to accept this and its “Pacific Access” category. It has adapt” (Wéry 2013). In September also provided Recognised Seasonal 2013, under the theme “Marshal- Employment (rse) to certain Pacific ling the Pacific Response to Climate Islanders including I-Kiribati; a similar Change,” the Pacific Islands Forum scheme (the Pacific Seasonal Worker met in the Marshall Islands, where political reviews • micronesia 235 the leaders deliberated on their posi- equally with developed countries. tion on climate-change adaptation The disconnection between what is and pushed for mitigation efforts written and what is said about chal- on the part of developed countries. lenges posed by climate change and In July 2014, a few days before the ways to respond to the changes receive annual Kiribati independence celebra- little attention.