15 Pacific Climate Warriors and Local Narratives on Climate …
295
350 Pacific and the Pacific Climate Warriors
The need to amplify the global movement’s transnational connections found fertile
ground in the Pacific Islands region, where local activists decided to join 350.org,
founding a regional branch of the organization with the name of 350 Pacific, and
referring to themselves as the Pacific Climate Warriors (see also McNamara and
Farbotko 2017; Steiner 2015; Titifanue et al. 2017). This new movement has led
popular fights against climate change, organizing and coordinating a lot of initiatives
in Oceania.
The network is composed of young indigenous adults who want to create awareness about the vulnerabilities of Pacific islands among a growing number of people,
both locally and internationally. At the same time, 350 Pacific highlights the power
and resilience of local communities. In fact, to increase the mobilization indigenous
protesters made an online call to all Pacific Warriors:
Every morning, we wake up and the ocean is there, surrounding our islands. But now the
ocean, driven by climate change is creeping ever closer. Unless something changes, many
of our Pacific Islands face losing everything to sea-level rise. For twenty years we’ve asked
world leaders to take action to stop polluting the atmosphere. We couldn’t wait any longer.
Now, warriors of the Pacific are rising peacefully to protect the Pacific Islands from climate
change. Our message: we are not drowning. We are fighting! (350 Pacific 2014a)
The emphasis here is put on politics: as members of Pacific indigenous communities, the Warriors asked world leaders to take action for climate change. Since the
answer never arrived, these young fighters decided to intervene on their own, making
known the urgency of the crisis.
But who are these Warriors? As observed by Rowan Gard (2018) the concept of
‘warrior’ as a classic male figure in the Pacific is today re-imagined for all genders
(see also George 2019; McNamara and Farbotko 2017). A warrior is anyone who will
stand beside these Pacific Islanders environmental activists, as ‘warriors’ defending
their homes and world (Gard 2018). As we can read on their website, there are
principles by which a warrior must abide:
A warrior is resilient. A warrior is not aggressive or violent but is assertive. A warrior
serves to protect their community, culture, land, and ocean. A warrior is always learning. A
warrior responds to the need of those around them and of the greater good. A warrior nonviolently stands their ground against an adversary, against injustice, and against oppression.
A warrior respectfully embodies their local culture and traditions. A warrior is accountable
for their actions and words. A warrior serves those who cannot fight for themselves - future
generations, animals and plants, environments. (350 Pacific 2014b)
This assertion shows parallels between the use of such ‘universal’ principles (nonaggressive or violent attitude, protection of the environment, injustice, and oppression) by the Warriors and other international environmental NGOs. For instance,
while Greenpeace aims to use symbols that can trigger an emotional involvement
in the public to raise awareness among people and mitigate climate change (Doyle
2007), the Warriors’ narrative seems slightly different for it aims to protect the Pacific
islands from climate change.
295
350 Pacific and the Pacific Climate Warriors
The need to amplify the global movement’s transnational connections found fertile
ground in the Pacific Islands region, where local activists decided to join 350.org,
founding a regional branch of the organization with the name of 350 Pacific, and
referring to themselves as the Pacific Climate Warriors (see also McNamara and
Farbotko 2017; Steiner 2015; Titifanue et al. 2017). This new movement has led
popular fights against climate change, organizing and coordinating a lot of initiatives
in Oceania.
The network is composed of young indigenous adults who want to create awareness about the vulnerabilities of Pacific islands among a growing number of people,
both locally and internationally. At the same time, 350 Pacific highlights the power
and resilience of local communities. In fact, to increase the mobilization indigenous
protesters made an online call to all Pacific Warriors:
Every morning, we wake up and the ocean is there, surrounding our islands. But now the
ocean, driven by climate change is creeping ever closer. Unless something changes, many
of our Pacific Islands face losing everything to sea-level rise. For twenty years we’ve asked
world leaders to take action to stop polluting the atmosphere. We couldn’t wait any longer.
Now, warriors of the Pacific are rising peacefully to protect the Pacific Islands from climate
change. Our message: we are not drowning. We are fighting! (350 Pacific 2014a)
The emphasis here is put on politics: as members of Pacific indigenous communities, the Warriors asked world leaders to take action for climate change. Since the
answer never arrived, these young fighters decided to intervene on their own, making
known the urgency of the crisis.
But who are these Warriors? As observed by Rowan Gard (2018) the concept of
‘warrior’ as a classic male figure in the Pacific is today re-imagined for all genders
(see also George 2019; McNamara and Farbotko 2017). A warrior is anyone who will
stand beside these Pacific Islanders environmental activists, as ‘warriors’ defending
their homes and world (Gard 2018). As we can read on their website, there are
principles by which a warrior must abide:
A warrior is resilient. A warrior is not aggressive or violent but is assertive. A warrior
serves to protect their community, culture, land, and ocean. A warrior is always learning. A
warrior responds to the need of those around them and of the greater good. A warrior nonviolently stands their ground against an adversary, against injustice, and against oppression.
A warrior respectfully embodies their local culture and traditions. A warrior is accountable
for their actions and words. A warrior serves those who cannot fight for themselves - future
generations, animals and plants, environments. (350 Pacific 2014b)
This assertion shows parallels between the use of such ‘universal’ principles (nonaggressive or violent attitude, protection of the environment, injustice, and oppression) by the Warriors and other international environmental NGOs. For instance,
while Greenpeace aims to use symbols that can trigger an emotional involvement
in the public to raise awareness among people and mitigate climate change (Doyle
2007), the Warriors’ narrative seems slightly different for it aims to protect the Pacific
islands from climate change.