In the last decade, news sources have made it easier to find information on all parts of the world. With a click of a button, you can find out everything happening from Gaza to the Antarctic. The Pacific Project is a forecast provided by The Guardian, a British newspaper company. It is one of the few news sources that share the current state of the Pacific islands, including China. Following are highlights from recent stories. If you like the sound of them, or want to keep up to date on what is going on in the Pacific Islands, check out The Pacific Project.
“From heavy metals to heavy metal: Bougainville’s unlikely musical obsession”
This article was published by Betsy Reed on October 27, 2023. The article is about Conscience, a heavy metal band, which is the only band that plays heavy metal on the Solomon Islands. It tells the story of a group whose music is inspired by tradesmen who visited the island two years ago looking for mines. Despite these citizens’ bleak reality due to lack of electricity, independence from Papua New Guinea, and lack of knowledge in politics, the genre gives not only the people in the band relief from reality, but also the citizens who listen to them perform. Mars Hanga, the manager of Conscience, is quoted in the story as saying, “It gives us peace, this music, gives us real confidence and purpose.” Despite unfortunate circumstances, the people of the island unite with each other through music, which makes the article a beautiful piece.
“Stay or go? Offered a future away from home, Tuvalu’s people face a painful choice”
This article was published by Betsy Reed on November 18, 2023. This article is about Tuvalu, an island with a population of roughly 11,200 people. The article proposes a treaty provided by Australia to offer at least 200 of Tuvalu’s citizens each year access to housing and work due to rising sea levels and global warming threatening the island.
According to Tuvalu’s climate change minister, Seve Paeniu, the people on the island have not given up on preserving Tuvalu and do not intend to reside in Australia long term. The article discusses how they will choose who will travel and creating a smooth process to avoid a flurry of people leaving the island in a state of panic. Unfortunately, more than 25% of Tuvalu´s citizens are not able to afford the flight to Australia or are unable to pay Visa application fees. At the end of the article, climate change campaigner Richard Gockrun states, “We don’t want to be locked up in other people’s countries. Moving away means the dying off of our cultures.”
“Happy, faithful and tied to nature: life adapting to the climate crisis – photo essay”
This article was published by Betsy Reed on November 26, 2023. This story is about a 58-year-old old woman named Poiongo Lisati who returned to her homeland, Kioa, Fiji, after 40 years. She reports the changes in her home, noticing six meters of a beach near her home had been washed away. This is an unfortunate reality for all the people living on the island, which is an estimate of 400 people. It represents the change of the island and the presentation of the Cop 208 Summit, a conference that was held in the United Arab Emirates from November 30, 2023, to December 13, 2023; the conference was held to discuss ideas on how to limit the excess of global warming.
Despite the drastic changes happening on the islands, the piece suggests that people living there are very happy and continue to push for action on the climate crisis. What makes this article so beautiful is that it shows the unfortunate circumstances of the people on the island but also shows the patriotism and the love the people have for the islands. The pictures that were taken in the article not only show the beauty of the island but also the beauty of the people.
