Fiji is not only at the forefront of the fight against climate change, but it has also been one of the most vocal nations highlighting ocean and coral reef issues in the region and beyond. As Fiji stands to lose everything while having contributed nothing to the problem, they have a strong moral voice on these issues that can encourage action in international circles.
With that in mind, I visited Fiji to launch the International Year of the Reef with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama and the UN Special Envoy on Oceans, Peter Thomson, in efforts to highlight the desperate situation of coral reefs in Fiji and elsewhere. I was able to see the issue firsthand, and discussed with the Prime Minister, members of his cabinet and the UN Special Envoy on strategies for elevating the issue in the coming year and galvanizing action from the international community.
In Fiji, we also visited Vunidogoloa, a village that had to be move a mile inland due to rising coastal waters.
Passing through Australia, I took the opportunity to speak with stakeholders on the coral reef issue in that country, including Australia’s Ambassador for the Environment Patrick Suckling; Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland; Leeanne Enoch, the Queensland Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts; and Daniel Gschwind, the Chief Executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council. I also had the opportunity to see a Great Barrier Reef success story, where sustainable tourism has been employed to support healthy reefs around Lady Elliot Island.
