The name Melanesia, from Greek μέλας, black, and νῆσος, island, etymologically means “islands of black [people]”, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants.

The Thin Red Line – Melanesian Choirs

The Pacific Island nation spans a 30,000-island chain comprising three ethnogeographic groupings: Melanesia, Micronesia, and my home, Polynesia. Melanesia’s Solomon Islands are known for having the clearest waters and largest varieties of sea life in the world. The Pohnpei Islands, with their rich natural resources, are known as the “Garden of Micronesia.” Then there is Tuvalu, made up of five island chains of Polynesia, where the endless fish and turtles make snorkeling the main tourist activity. As welcoming as these islands sound, over the last 30 years, global warming has been causing trouble in paradise. 

Sea levels have risen two to three times the global average over the past few decades, making reef islands vulnerable to erosion and causing them to shrink. In addition, rising sea levels have caused an increase in flooding that has threatened the core food source of our nation — agriculture, creating a permeating effect on food security and the livelihood of the island natives. This is the reality our Polynesian brothers and sisters face in the islands of Tuvalu. Tuvalu has already purchased land in Fiji to evacuate their citizens as scientists have projected that the islands will most likely be underwater within the next 40 years.

The entire Pacific region contributes just 0.03% of total greenhouse gas emissions, yet millions of Pacific Islanders are subjected to the severe impacts of climate change which are an existential threat to our homeland, culture, livelihoods, and our Pacific identity. The sinking of low-lying areas has become a stark reminder and a potent symbol of climate change. Most research predicts our low-lying islands will be submerged by the end of the 21st century with some islands running out of freshwater long before they run out of land.