For many of our Pacific partners climate change poses a real threat. King tides, salination and rising sea levels are already causing damage to crops, water supplies and homes in low lying nations. Without action many Pacific nations such as Kiribati are likely to become completely submerged.

Resettlement: a dream last option for Pacific Islanders. By Oiner Moa

As a Pacific person I have been and advocating on climate change and its adverse effects on low lying islands and coastal areas.

What will climate change mean for the Pacific Island countries if the meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009 doesn’t stop the continuing emissions?

It will mean our homes will continue to be flooded, life will become unaffordable and some of our island could go underwater before 2020

If this happens, in order to survive we will need to look at resettlement of populations as the last option for Pacific Islanders.

Two of the most preferred countries for resettlement are New Zealand and Australia, or what the Pacific Islanders usually referred to as “big brothers”.

When will they commit to significant reductions in carbon emissions and address the issue of resettlement?

Are they waiting until a big tsunami or super cyclone wipes out the atoll dwellers?

No matter how much the grass root people value an issue, it all depends on the “big guns and big brothers” to decide.

According to research conducted by Pacific Conference of Churches on perceptions of people on climate change issues, most of the people still hope the impacts of Climate Change can be mitigated.

However they also indicated that the best option if impacts intensify is to resettle into other countries.

With the current attitude and ignorance of political leaders on resettlement, climate change will only remain an issue and we will only be able to dream about our right to live and right to survive this reality we did not start.

Let our voices be recognized.