ZEKE Fall 2019

esident of Reef Islands in the
Solomon Islands. “Life in the
coastal communities are more
[reliant] on fishing and few on
gardening,” he shared. But
because of the water’s rising
temperatures, the fish could
hardly survive as hot water
holds less oxygen. Add to that
the fact that the current has
become more confusing than
ever, fishermen can no longer
predict the best time to set
sail. As a result, they spend
more time in the sea than ever
before. Coral reefs in Solomon
Islands are also affected, and
as corals die, the fish lose their
breeding ground.
In a 2010 study conducted
by Nodua, it appeared that
internal migration in Solomon
Islands has increased in the past
two decades. Residents from
smaller islands such as Tikopia
and Duff move to larger islands
like Utupua, Santa Cruz, and
Vanikoro. But even this is not a
permanent solution. Nodua’s
research revealed that the
Solomon Islands has a much
bigger problem — a problem
shared by other nations like
Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu,
and Maldives — coastal erosion.
Dr. Engelhart has an explanation
for this. He says, “when
we talk about rising water levels,
we use the term ‘relative sea
level’ because we can change
the level of the sea that people
experience by either changing
the volume/distribution of water
or by changing the elevation
of the land with respect to the
ocean. Therefore, if the land is
subsiding, sea level will rise in
the eyes of an observer on that
subsiding land even if the ocean
volume isn’t changing.”
And while most people think
coastal erosion is simply caused
by waves and tides washing
away the land, Dr. Engelhart
highlighted the role of tectonics,
saying it’s one of the long-term
processes that can alter the land
level. “Earth’s tectonic plates
moving past each other and
getting stuck and then releasing
make the land elevation change.
These land-level changes can be
slow and happen over hundreds
to thousands of years but also
can happen quickly where as
much as a couple of meters
elevation change can happen
in seconds to minutes when a
large earthquake occurs such as
occurred in Sumatra in 2004 or
Japan in 2011.”
Health at Risk
While conducting his study,
Nodua found out that the
climate crisis does have massive
effects on food security.
Residents of the Tuo village in
Reef Islands have seen how the
prolonged dry weather causes
root crops and fruit trees to
bear less. In late 2004 to early
2005, Reef Islanders’ staple
food ran low. The rising waters
cause swamps to become more
saline, making it difficult to
grow swamp taro, a common
food in most countries in
Southeast Asia.
As a domino effect, this
problem further affects the
health of islanders not only in
Solomon Islands but coastal
communities in Southeast Asia
and globally. The challenge of
harvesting fruits due to unstable
weather patterns, and the
decline of food sources puts
children at risk of health and
nutritional problems.
Today, We Think. And
Think Better.
Islanders from different parts of
the globe may have historically
learned to embrace their
environment. They may have
learned how to understand
the waters and everything it
brings and takes. But now it
seems the rising waters and the
global climate have changed
its language.
Crosses and bones are
being washed away, leaving
people in Solomon Islands with
no decent place to bury their
dead. Nodua, who now works
closely with Oceans Watch
Solomon Islands, also found
that the rising sea is affecting
the access to fresh water in villages
like Tuo; their well water
started tasting saltier in the
early 1990s.
In the Philippines, the wives
of fisherfolks have their own
battle. Jenelyn Caro Quintalla
comes from a family of 16. Her
parents raised them all through
fishing. Today, Jenelyn is a
mother to six and her husband
is also a fisherman. But as
coastal road development eats
through their community, and
the waters continue to change
temperature, Jenelyn sometimes
finds herself wide awake at
night. “It’s not easy. I feel like
our life is in limbo. We can’t
fish anymore so my husband
works part-time at a construction
site; budgeting is always a
challenge,” she shared.
RESOURCES
Oceans Watch Solomon Islands
www.oceanswatch.org/oceanswatchsolomon-islands
Mother Nature Cambodia
www.mothernaturecambodia.org
Pacific Climate Warriors
www.350pacific.org/pacific-climate-warriors
Greenpeace
www.greenpeace.org
Pacific Community
www.spc.int
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
https://coast.noaa.gov
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