4 Leveraging Vanua: Metaphysics, Nature …
75
be made in reference to ancestral spirits, local Natural and sites of cultural significance, and community norms regarding past and future generations, that would then
resonate across both discourses.
As legal instruments, both the Climate Change Bill 2019 and the National Climate
Change Policy embody an alien conception of Nature to that of iTaukei metaphysics.
The referent of security is the nation-state (Article 4(p)) that eschews any wider
notion of bringing in climate change as part of an ecological security framework, in
which vanua could be more centrally placed. Ontologically speaking, this resonates
with the ideas of a Nature that can be managed and controlled, serving a purpose to
people. For instance, in the context of The Bill, adaptation is defined as the “adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli
or their effects which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities” (p. 6,
emphasis added). In this technocratic approach, although implicit, the subjects of
such benefits are solely human. Oceans are the only thing that are offered as a separate area worthy as being an objective of “consideration” (Article 4(o) but are then
subsequently reduced to an anthropocentric lens in the principle of (Article 5(j) where
the ocean is defined merely as “critical to identity and livelihood of Fijians.” Whilst
an important concession seemingly recognising the relationship between people and
the environment in ways more than just economic, it does not reflect Nature in its
own terms. Similarly, The Policy through its ‘woven approach’, explicitly accepts
the tight “relationship between social and ecological systems and that human prosperity is dependent on environmental integrity and health” (Republic of Fiji 2018,
p. 40). By centring on the economic, it lacks acknowledgement of the intertwined
“spiritual and emotional understandings of belonging to the land in space and time”
(Ryle 2005, p. 73) of iTaukei communities. Whilst The Policy further states the need
to “ensure that all development actions adequately address the impacts, linkages and
dependencies between human wellbeing, ecosystem services, biodiversity, oceanic
systems, and the global climate” (p. 41), it gives the false impression of a socioecological arrangement in which spiritual and metaphysical constructs are absent.
In this technocratic approach, the subjects of any benefits are solely human, making
invisible the relations between vanua, territory, Nature and spirituality.
Conclusions
In this chapter we have argued for a better understanding and recognition of metaphysics, as they relate to culture, everyday life, and importantly in the context of
this book, to religious belief, faith and spirituality. We have shown how existing and
proposed policy frameworks related to climate change adaptation largely operate
outside many of these factors. Exploring the metaphysical grounds and discourses
associated with climate change policy in Fiji, we emphasise the way in which
policy instruments are reliant on a discourse lacking content that speaks to the belief
systems that are fundamental in iTaukei society (Luetz and Nunn 2020). These policy
measures are bound to a set of principles that are focused on hard measures (such
75
be made in reference to ancestral spirits, local Natural and sites of cultural significance, and community norms regarding past and future generations, that would then
resonate across both discourses.
As legal instruments, both the Climate Change Bill 2019 and the National Climate
Change Policy embody an alien conception of Nature to that of iTaukei metaphysics.
The referent of security is the nation-state (Article 4(p)) that eschews any wider
notion of bringing in climate change as part of an ecological security framework, in
which vanua could be more centrally placed. Ontologically speaking, this resonates
with the ideas of a Nature that can be managed and controlled, serving a purpose to
people. For instance, in the context of The Bill, adaptation is defined as the “adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli
or their effects which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities” (p. 6,
emphasis added). In this technocratic approach, although implicit, the subjects of
such benefits are solely human. Oceans are the only thing that are offered as a separate area worthy as being an objective of “consideration” (Article 4(o) but are then
subsequently reduced to an anthropocentric lens in the principle of (Article 5(j) where
the ocean is defined merely as “critical to identity and livelihood of Fijians.” Whilst
an important concession seemingly recognising the relationship between people and
the environment in ways more than just economic, it does not reflect Nature in its
own terms. Similarly, The Policy through its ‘woven approach’, explicitly accepts
the tight “relationship between social and ecological systems and that human prosperity is dependent on environmental integrity and health” (Republic of Fiji 2018,
p. 40). By centring on the economic, it lacks acknowledgement of the intertwined
“spiritual and emotional understandings of belonging to the land in space and time”
(Ryle 2005, p. 73) of iTaukei communities. Whilst The Policy further states the need
to “ensure that all development actions adequately address the impacts, linkages and
dependencies between human wellbeing, ecosystem services, biodiversity, oceanic
systems, and the global climate” (p. 41), it gives the false impression of a socioecological arrangement in which spiritual and metaphysical constructs are absent.
In this technocratic approach, the subjects of any benefits are solely human, making
invisible the relations between vanua, territory, Nature and spirituality.
Conclusions
In this chapter we have argued for a better understanding and recognition of metaphysics, as they relate to culture, everyday life, and importantly in the context of
this book, to religious belief, faith and spirituality. We have shown how existing and
proposed policy frameworks related to climate change adaptation largely operate
outside many of these factors. Exploring the metaphysical grounds and discourses
associated with climate change policy in Fiji, we emphasise the way in which
policy instruments are reliant on a discourse lacking content that speaks to the belief
systems that are fundamental in iTaukei society (Luetz and Nunn 2020). These policy
measures are bound to a set of principles that are focused on hard measures (such