Halo, Talufa and Bula Vinaka
This is how we welcome the people to the Pacifica families on the beautiful islands of Vanuatu, Tuvalu, and Fiji, and it will be the welcome that will be extended to the Rainbow Warrior when it lands on the shores of the Pacific islands next week.
Rainbow Warrior will continue her trek to the Pacific – this time, in support of Pacifica’s groundbreaking legal campaign, climate damage to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice.
Join our campaign on an inspiring 8-week journey where you will meet and connect with the world’s most powerful activists and social justice warriors.
Join the campaign
We will collaborate with the most resilient of human beings and have ties to cultures deeply rooted in respect, trust and love that stretch back thousands of years. You can also follow our journey with our interactive map below.
Continue the journey
The beautiful Pacific nations are made up of more than 7,500 islands across a quarter of the Earth in the world’s largest ocean. Our Pacifica ancestors were great navigators who used nothing but the stars, planets and constellations. It was and still is about being one with everything around us and Our relationship with Moana or Wasawasa – the ocean.
Greenpeace has a long and proud history of working alongside local communities to protect the oceans, lands, and people of the Pacific Ocean.
We will travel to Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji to celebrate Beautiful cultural traditions documenting human rights stories from the effects of climate change. These accounts will be included as part of the legal case at the International Court of Justice.
the journey
One stop: Cairns
Pacific campaign launched. Mora Calmel Cepa: Together We Stand.
In Cairns, the Rainbow Warrior welcomes First Nations leaders Judah Malweligal to Torres Strait, Uncle Paul and Uncle Popeye – plaintiffs in the Australian climate case who have taken the Australian government to court for failing to protect their island homes from climate change.
Uncle Paul and Uncle Babai along with other inspiring Australian litigators such as Anjali Sharma will travel aboard the Rainbow Warrior to the Pacific in a show of solidarity with communities around the world to take action into their own hands after decades of government failure to act on climate change.
Second stop: Port Vila, Vanuatu
“We can change the world if we change the law.”
Vanuatu is the world’s most climate-vulnerable country and is also one of the most ambitious in addressing climate change.
Greenpeace brings climate litigators from around the world together in Port Vila, from Bonaire in the Caribbean to the Philippines and Australia to support a landmark legal climate campaign.
Born in Vanuatu, this groundbreaking legal campaign is bringing climate justice to the world’s highest court – the International Court of Justice – in a case to protect the human rights of people most affected by climate change and to see legal consequences for major polluters.
Third stop: Eromango, Vanuatu
Provide a certificate of loss and damage
Eromango, a culturally rich island in Vanuatu, has suffered significant damage from multiple cyclones, including this year’s rare and devastating “double cyclone event”.
Greenpeace will join the Erromango community to celebrate beautiful cultural traditions and document human rights stories on the impacts of climate change, including the right to life, health, food, water, sanitation, housing, self-determination, culture and development.
These accounts will be included as part of the application process to the ICJ.
Fourth stop: Funafuti, Tuvalu
Leadership and solutions from the front lines of the climate crisis
Tuvalu is a coral state with a population of around 11,000. Tuvalu’s territory rarely exceeds 3 meters above sea level, which makes it highly vulnerable to sea level rise.
Tuvalu has also become famous as the first country in the world to create a digital replica of itself on the metaverse to preserve its culture in the face of climate loss.
Greenpeace will work with climate leaders and highlight the resilience of Pacific communities who are at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis.
Greenpeace will provide hands-on training aboard the Rainbow Warrior for local activists.
Stop five: Suva, Fiji
Collaborate with local communities in the area
Paula! Fiji has important diplomatic and economic relations with Australia. It faces severe impacts from severe hurricanes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, and temperature extremes, affecting GDP and community resilience.
The return of the Rainbow Warrior to the Pacific Islands is an opportunity to strengthen relationships with civil society, NGOs, and allies in the region. Greenpeace’s focus is on collaborating with communities, amplifying the visions of climate justice activists, and promoting debate, talent, action, and friendship.
Suva, home of USP, witnessed the birth of this groundbreaking legal campaign that brought climate change to the world’s highest court. To bring this full circle, Greenpeace will co-host a University Open Day with Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), who have played a vital role in the ICJAO campaign.
Six stops: Kioa and Rabi, Fiji
Fiji, which faces its own climate migration challenges, is home to the islands of Kioa and Rabi, each with distinct narratives of communities relocated due to the effects of climate change.
The Kioa community’s journey, which began after World War II from Tuvalu’s Vaitupu Island, serves as a global inspiration.
Greenpeace will join leaders, civil society groups, climate-affected individuals and climate organizations from across the Pacific on Kiowa Island for discussions as part of the ongoing Kiowa Climate Declaration.
This grassroots regional initiative puts Pacific claims at the forefront of conversations about loss and damage. Adhering to the COP27 Loss and Damage Mechanism ensures that funds from the top polluters are directed towards supporting developing nations disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.
Next, the Rainbow Warrior will travel to neighboring Rabi Island to celebrate International Indigenous Peoples Day and Solidarity with a candlelight vigil, supporting global climate litigants who are bringing their applications to the International Court of Justice.
Seven stops: Suva, Fiji
Rainbow Warrior says Sota Tail to the Pacific Ocean
Sota Tail, farewell now to our friends, allies, and leaders in the Pacific whose strength and leadership inspired us so much during our tour of the Pacific.
This trip is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and collaborate with communities, amplify the visions of climate justice activists, and Promote discussion, conversation, work and friendship.
We will weave together stories from Pacific Island communities and share them with the world Unique threats to culture that are being faced, but also the need for a collective response in the journey towards climate justice.
The cultural and cultural connection of the Pacifica people is what unites us. This is what makes us different. It is what defines us, it is what breathes life or And see (soul spirit) in us. Our culture is our identity, our culture is our mana, our culture is an important part of Tapa (texture) of our life.
It’s about fighting for what’s right and creating space for people on the front lines of the climate crisis with the most advanced solutions.
I look forward to taking you on this journey that merges the cultural pulse of the Pacific with the cultural pulse of Greenpeace itself. Formation of a unified path across islands and oceans. This journey is about listening, it’s about healing the heart. It is about learning, growing, and sharing solidarity with one another.
I started this blog with something that is severely threatened by climate change and something we hold close to our beings – our languages stem from our beautiful countries Vanua and fenua (Earth). I will end this email with the same. There is only one language when it comes to fighting for what is right – the language of the soul.
Tankio Thomas, Vakavitai Lacey, Vinaka Vakalevu