Fiji holds the presidency for this year's UN Climate Change Conference, taking place in Bonn, Germany. The island archipelago boasts stunning natural beauty - but it’s already suffering the effects of global warming.
Image: Imago/alimdi
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Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama is also the COP 23 President – a role which would normally entail hosting the UN Climate Change Conference. However, the country lacks the resources to host the summit on the island archipelago itself. As the summit wraps up in the German city of Bonn, delegates from Fiji are hoping to draw attention to the existential threat their country faces from global warming. Breathtaking images from the island show just what’s at stake when it comes to protecting our planet.
The Republic of Fiji, home to around one million people, is made up of more than 330 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, around a third of which are permanently inhabited. It’s famous for its soft coral, which grows in shrub-like swathes on its many reefs. The country is a hotspot for diving enthusiasts and a leader in eco-tourism, with a warm climate all year round.
But it’s warming temperatures which are putting in the islands at risk: some areas have already become uninhabitable due to rising sea levels. Parts of the island’s coral reef systems have been affected by ocean acidification – carbon pollution that increases the ocean’s acidity. The London School of Economics estimates that climate change could result in the displacement of up to 1.7 million people across the Pacific Islands by 2050.
Fiji’s government is determined to address this vulnerability, and called on world leaders at the COP 23 summit for support. In a report done with the World Bank, the South Pacific nation said it is spending almost 10 percent of its gross domestic product to guard against natural disasters, more than four times the level of five years ago.
"As the President of the COP23 and on behalf of the small island nations, […] Fiji is asking the world for drastic action […]so that climate change does not impose a limit to our development," Prime Minister Bainimarama said in the report.
Fiji - island paradise in jeopardy
Fiji was once synonymous with a tropical paradise. But global warming and severe storms are now threatening the very existence of the islands. Fiji-born photographer Aaron March captures the fragile nature of his home.
Image: DW/A. March
Paradise at risk
The coral reef off Mamanuca Island in Fiji is a dream destination for snorkelers. But diving through the clear water and colorful fish is becoming a rarity. Due to rising ocean temperatures, coral reefs in Fiji are dying off. The loss of the fragile ecosystem has a knock-on effect for fishing and tourism - two of the country's main sources of income.
Image: DW/A. March
Beach erosion
Two girls walk along the shore at Namatakula village. Storms and rising sea levels have washed away much of the beach on the south of the island Viti Levu. Palm trees, which help protect the beach from erosion, have been uprooted as the ocean creeps closer to land. To fight against climate change and become more resilent to its impact, the villagers have founded their own environmental group.
Image: DW/A. March
A village battles climate change
As they watched sea levels rise and storms erode their beach, the villagers of Namatakula decided to take matters into their own hands. In 2017 they founded a community-based youth project to address development and adaptation to climate change. The group focuses on clean-up efforts and coping mechanisms such as tree planting. Members of the project are attending COP23 in Bonn, Germany.
Image: DW/A. March
Relocating a village
In February 2016 Cyclone Winston hit the village of Vunisavisavi on Fiji's second largest island, washing away much of the shore and destroying buildings. Since then, the ocean continues to creep closer. Fields are routinely flooded with saltwater and homes have collapsed in the high waters. Many families have abandoned their homes or were relocated to higher ground.
Image: DW/A. March
Moving to higher ground
Sepesa Kilimo Waqairatavu is one of the villagers from Vunisavisavi considering relocating to higher ground. Members of his family moved after their houses were damaged in 2016, but the 37-year-old is uncertain about relocation. While moving further inland would offer better protection, a new house would also be isolated from the village and make fishing - a main source of income - difficult.
Image: DW/A. March
Leaving ancestral homelands
Many village elders in Vunisavisavi refused to leave their homes, believing that their ancestors had entrusted them to protect the land. But 85-year-old Maria Lolou, the oldest resident in the village, decided to relocate to higher ground with her family in May 2016. Here she is with her great-granddaughter in the new home that was financed by US development aid.
Image: DW/A. March
Disappearing tourist attraction
The Coral Coast is a popular holiday destination on the island of Viti Levu. It's known for its wide and shallow coral reefs, which are easily accessible from the shore. But rising water temperatures have severely damaged the coral, wiping it out in some parts. Many in the tourism industry are worried that without the coral, tourists will no longer come.
Image: DW/A. March
A fantasy island to replace a real one
As shorelines are washed away and coral reefs disappear, Fiji's developers have begun looking for ways to keep tourist money flowing. One solution is artificial islands. Fantasy Island is the biggest example of reclaiming land from the ocean. By dredging channels and converting "underproductive swampland" into beachside communities, the project has attracted a series of five-star resorts.
Image: DW/A. March
Artificial paradise
Tourists at the resorts along the Denarau peninsula on Viti Levu may post Instagram photos of the clear waters of the hotel-side lagoons and palm tree-lined white sandy beaches. But it's an artificial paradise and one that damages the island's environment. The beaches were created by dredging channels and extending the sand in areas where mangrove swamps once thrived.
