Teuga Patolo stands in king-tide waters that surround her neighbour's house, 8 December 2011. Rodney Dekker / Oxfam

Presenter: Campbell Cooney
Speaker: Tatuau Pese, secretary general, Tuvalu Red Cross
28 December 2011 Tuvalu and Kiribati will be amongst the island nations bracing for king tides. In January and February, the low lying atoll nations are hit by massive tides, which damage foreshore areas, destroy crops, and affect water supplies. Tuvalu is just recovering from a major drought where it ran out of fresh water, with the Australia and New Zealand defence forces providing desalination plants to ensure supplies. PESE: In the past we’ve never had any king tides be that bad, but in 2006 we evacuated some families from their homes due to the king tides. We have to prepare, to be on standby for the next king tides so that if there’s a need for evacuating some families. But there’s nowhere else to evacuate to so it’s a just a matter of a few days be out from their homes if it’s needed then they can go back there. COONEY: What’s the forecast for the upcoming king tide season? PESE: It’s normal, it’s not as high as 2006, that’s what I’ve heard. COONEY: Is it getting higher? I mean 2006 of course a bad year but this season comes along all the time, is the impact of it being felt at a higher level than say perhaps 20 years ago? PESE: Yes you can see the impacts in our crops, especially on the mainland in Funafuti. You’ll hardly see our root crops, taro or the giant taro, they are not growing anymore. All those taro pits have been destroyed and the plants are dead. COONEY: Do you feel at times on Tuvalu that this issue is hitting you and the rest of the world understands that it’s a problem but they don’t realise the scope of the problem? PESE: Yes what we hear from the international meetings of the outcomes that most of the big countries, especially the major powers are not actually very much listening to our plight, so yes it affects us and we hope that something can be done to assist the future of our people. COONEY: What about using the resources of the Red Cross to try and get the word across overseas in the other countries free of the large global network? PESE: We’ve been working closely with the Red Cross Climate Change Climate Centre in our climate change programs, and we are also doing something, trying our best to do whatever the Red Cross does also. COONEY: We’ve heard it raised more than once that at some stage it might be true as it might be in Kiribati as well that there will come a day when Tuvalu may have to be or the people of Tuvalu may have to be relocated. What’s that like for the people of Tuvalu, is that something that they take seriously? PESE: Some people do, some people do not, especially the young ones, especially the older ones they don’t believe in climate change. There are still a few people I would say still don’t believe in climate change, they believe in the bible and God’s promise to Noah that there will be no more flooding and God will keep his word and nothing will happen to Tuvalu. COONEY: Do I take that to understand then that the younger people are probably not quite so convinced by that? PESE: Well I think the majority of younger people they want to go overseas and they also have more access to information than the older people, so they have a fairer understanding of the issue than probably some of the older people. That’s why it’s a bit hard for us to change the mindsets of some of the older people.

Tuvalu preparing for 2012 king tide season A troupe of three dozen islanders from Kiribati and two other Pacific atolls, Tokelau, and Tuvalu touring the East and West coasts in fall, 2011. The tour's title was also its 'Water is Rising'. The goal was to share island culture with Americans and offer a deeply personal plea for action on climate change. Jorge Vismara

By Jennifer Weeks for Daily Climate
19 December 2011 CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – The applause was raucous, growing louder and faster as the beat accelerated. A dozen dancers, arms stretched, torsos bare, pounded the stage in an increasing frenzy. They turned, swooped, slapped their thighs, swooped and turned again — birds hovering in the air, looking for something below — and shouting, “koburake!” or “rise up!” The audience exploded after each verse, thinking the performance over. But the dance started up again, faster still. The dancers had traveled more than 7,000 miles to perform for the crowd at Harvard University’s Sanders Theater. They were singing of  the frigate bird — an agile flier with a seven-foot wingspan that forages across the open ocean, returning to land only to roost or breed. The performers on stage were part of a troupe of three dozen islanders from Kiribati and two other Pacific atolls, Tokelau and Tuvalu touring the East and West coasts this fall. Cloaked within the music was a message: Life on these islands centers on fishing and family ties. But climate change, driven by industrialized activities thousands of miles away, is intruding. Coastlines are eroding and sea level rise is pushing salt water into wells. Families that have lived in the same places for hundreds of years wonder how future generations will subsist. The performers — fishermen, farmers, homemakers and students — tapped their culture and art to tell of their home and plight. The tour’s title was also its message: Water is Rising. The goal was to share island culture with Americans and offer a deeply personal plea for action. “Climate change is a survival issue for these people,” said tour organizer Judy Mitoma, director of the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for Intercultural Performance and emeritus professor of dance. Mitoma has curated many cross-cultural performing-arts events in Asia and the Pacific. This project attracted her because it combined scientific and artistic themes, yet relied upon performers unversed in the science or politics of climate change. “I didn’t want … a polished message,” she said. “The point was that if you live on these islands, you are the spokespersons.” […] “Some indigenous cultures could literally disappear because of climate change,” said Suzanne Benally, executive director of Cultural Survival, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. “Their lives are very entwined with their ecosystems, and they are feeling direct, immediate consequences.” […] The atolls face pressing problems — erosion, drought, intensifying tropical storms. The Water is Rising message stayed upbeat, centering on performers’ faith and love for their islands. With the tour over, it’s unclear what’s next or whether the performers even want more time in the spotlight. “These are very quiet people, and it wasn’t easy to get them to talk from the stage,” Mitoma said. But the islanders’ message came through in their music — especially “Koburake,” the dance of the frigate bird. At Sanders Theater, after the music stopped for good and the dancers stood shiny with sweat and breathing hard, the audience gave them a five-minute standing ovation. In the song, however, the frigate bird never found its home. The island was gone, disappeared beneath the waves.

Facing rising seas, islanders call on their music