Communicating climate change in the Pacific using a bottom-up approach

While scientific evidence in support of climate change is growing, awareness and education about its effects, especially among vulnerable communities, is lacking, due to language and cultural barriers. Communities are unlikely to respond to government policies promoting mitigation and adaptation strategies without an improved perception of climate change risk at a local level. Mapping the flow of information between decision makers and citizens is an important part of this process. This article broadly explores the communication channels that are being used for awareness and knowledge sharing in the Pacific. At its core, the article discusses a way in which participatory media has been piloted to enable community discussion about issues around climate change in the Pacific Islands. The ‘bottom-up’ approach encourages participation of marginalised groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities who bring diverse perspectives in content creation. This discursive space enables citizens to share knowledge and acquire better understanding of the impacts on livelihood and culture. However, a strong community network and consistent mentoring support are prerequisites for participatory media to have long term benefits.

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Alternative Entry Points for Adaptation: Examples from Vanuatu

Weather Climate and Society ◽

10.1175/wcas-d-20-0064.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 11-22

Author(s):

Ross Westoby ◽

Rachel Clissold ◽

Karen E. McNamara

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Technical College ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Local Scale ◽

Project Delivery ◽

Community Based ◽

Bottom Up ◽

The Pacific ◽

Entry Points

AbstractAs climate change accelerates, effective adaptation is an urgent and unavoidable priority. Bottom-up approaches such as community-based adaptation have been portrayed as the panacea. Recent studies are, however, highlighting the ongoing and inherent issues with normative “community” conceptualizations that assume a geographically bound, temporally fixed, and harmonious unit. Despite documentation on the negative impact these problematic assumptions can have on adaptation outcomes, adaptation at the community scale remains the preferred option for project delivery in highly exposed places such as the Pacific Islands region. More creative entry points that are less charged with problematic assumptions are needed at the local scale. This paper draws from three examples in Vanuatu to offer compelling alternative entry points for adaptation: 1) a rural technical college embedded within an Anglican mission village, 2) a whole-of-island approach, and 3) the “collective of vendors” at marketplaces. We offer hope by identifying ways to expand on and complement existing, restricted notions of community and, through this, to improve adaptation outcomes.

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Climate change adaptation planning in remote contexts: insights from community-based natural resource management and rural development initiatives in the Pacific Islands

Climate and Development ◽

10.1080/17565529.2020.1867046 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Daniela Medina Hidalgo ◽

Patrick D. Nunn ◽

Harriot Beazley ◽

Joji Sivo Sovinasalevu ◽

Joeli Veitayaki

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Resource Management ◽

Rural Development ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Adaptation Planning ◽

Community Based ◽

The Pacific

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Litigating Human Rights Violations Related to the Adverse Effects of Climate Change in the Pacific Islands

Climate Change Litigation in the Asia Pacific ◽

10.1017/9781108777810.006 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 94-119

Author(s):

Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Human Rights ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Human Rights Violations ◽

The Pacific

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Power, the Pacific Islands, and the Prestige Press: A Case Study of How Climate Reporting is Influenced by UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Summits

The International Journal of Press/Politics ◽

10.1177/19401612211018067 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 194016122110180

Author(s):

Meghan M. Shea ◽

James Painter ◽

Shannon Osaka

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

The Pacific ◽

Emotional Appeals ◽

Issue Attention ◽

Quantitative Results

While studies have investigated UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings as drivers of climate change reporting as well as the geopolitical role of Pacific Islands in these international forums, little research examines the intersection: how media coverage of Pacific Islands and climate change (PICC) may be influenced by, or may influence, UNFCCC meetings. We analyze two decades of reporting on PICC in American, British, and Australian newspapers—looking at both volume and content of coverage—and expand the quantitative results with semi-structured interviews with journalists and Pacific stakeholders. Issue attention on PICC increases and the content changes significantly in the periods around UNFCCC meetings, with shifts from language about vulnerability outside of UNFCCC periods to language about agency and solutions. We explore the implications of these differences in coverage for both agenda setting and the amplification of emotional appeals in UNFCCC contexts.

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Perspectives of artist–practitioners on the communication of climate change in the Pacific

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management ◽

10.1108/ijccsm-03-2017-0058 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 323-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stuart Capstick ◽

Sarah Hemstock ◽

Ruci Senikula

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Climate Change Communication ◽

Content Type ◽

Change Communication ◽

The Pacific ◽

Research Interviews ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of the visual arts for communicating climate change in the context of the Pacific islands, through the perspectives of artists and climate change practitioners. Design/methodology/approach As part of an “Eco Arts” project carried out in Fiji, semi-structured research interviews were undertaken with artists and climate change practitioners. Findings Participants’ motivations to produce art reflected their personal concerns about, and experiences of, climate change. There was an intention to use art-based approaches to raise awareness and promote action on climate change. The artwork produced drew on metaphors and storytelling to convey future climate impacts and aspects of climate change relevant to Fijian and Pacific communities. Research limitations/implications The study reports the perspectives of participants and discusses the potential uses of arts communication. Conclusions cannot be drawn from the findings regarding the effectiveness of specific artwork or of arts communication as a general approach. Practical implications The research offers suggestions for the inclusion of creative approaches to climate change communication within education and vocational training. A consideration of the perspectives of artist–practitioners has implications for the design and conduct of climate change communication. Social implications The involvement of artist–practitioners in the communication of climate change offers the potential for novel discussions and interpretations of climate change with individuals and within communities, which complement more formal or scientific communication. Originality/value The present study identifies the motivations and objectives of artist–practitioners involved in climate change communication. The authors highlight the role of personal experience and their use of artistic concepts and creative considerations pertinent to the geography and culture of the Pacific region.

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Responding to the challenges of climate change in the Pacific Islands: management and technological imperatives

Climate Research ◽

10.3354/cr00806 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 211-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

PD Nunn

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

The Pacific

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Promoting Peace Through Climate Change Adaptation

Advances in Public Policy and Administration - Handbook of Research on Promoting Peace Through Practice, Academia, and the Arts ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-3001-5.ch023 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 462-488

Author(s):

Peni Hausia Havea

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Change Adaptation ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Well Being ◽

Pacific Island ◽

Island Region ◽

Impact Of Climate Change ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Impact

Climate change has affected people's peace in the form of impact on livelihoods, health, and/or well-being. Most of these peace impacts, however, are felt significantly by people who are living in the low-lying communities in the Pacific, who are within and/or close to the Ring of Fire. This chapter is based on a study of peace and climate change adaptation that was conducted in the Pacific island region in 2016. It took place in five communities in Suva, Fiji: Vatuwaqa, Raiwaqa, Raiwai, Samabula, and Toorak. It highlights the impact of climate change on peace, and then it indicated how peace can be promoted in the form of climate change adaptation for these communities. Based on the results of this research, the author recommends that peace should be incorporated into the Pacific islands national adaptation plan.

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SolarSPELL Assessment: Impact of a Solar-Powered Digital Library as a Teaching-Learning Resource on Climate Change

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12166636 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 6636

Author(s):

Laura Hosman ◽

Marcela Georgina Gómez Zermeño ◽

Lorena Alemán de la Garza

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Digital Library ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Pacific Islands ◽

Educational Innovation ◽

Sustainable Community Development ◽

The Pacific ◽

Solar Powered ◽

Teaching Learning ◽

The Impact

Inclusive and quality education can provide nations with the tools to solve global problems. However, some barriers prevent equal access to this education. These obstacles include the lack of basic resources such as electricity and internet availability, which prevents appropriate training in the skills necessary for sustainable community development. Therefore, we have responded with the Solar-Powered Educational Learning Library (SolarSPELL) initiative, which offers a solar-powered digital library and provides an internet-like experience through its offline WiFi network. This educational innovation has been implemented in rural schools across the Pacific Islands, including in some of the more remote islands of Fiji, an area strongly affected by climate change. The objective of the study was to understand the impact of SolarSPELL on teaching and learning about climate change in the schools where it was implemented. This research used a case study method in which quantitative tools were applied to understand the characteristics of the schools and the impact of this educational innovation. The results showed that the SolarSPELL library was an impactful pedagogical resource in the schools where it was implemented. It served as support for teachers and motivated the students, promoted the democratization of knowledge in vulnerable areas, and provided appropriate educational resources to generate knowledge about problem-solving actions that can respond to climate change. The importance of this educational innovation lies in presenting strategies and best practices that help improve the quality of education, making it more inclusive and eliminating barriers to the acquisition of knowledge.

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