A new study found that over the last decade, 15 percent of people in Tuvalu (population 10,857), 10 percent of people in Nauru (population 10,084) and 1.3 percent of people in Kiribati (population 103,058) moved abroad. Many others — about 10,000 — tried to migrate, but could not. Others became “internal migrants,” placing strains on Read more
“The world is on the verge of suicide if we do not radically change the way in which we deal with problems linked to climate change and the current development model.” Francis said this in his conversation with journalists on board the flight from Bangui to Rome. The Pope also responded to a couple of Read more
Climate change—much like ethnic cleansing—singles out certain populations, presenting migration problems every bit as serious as those of political, religious, and ethnic refugees. Extinction is hardly less serious than genocide, yet its quarry have no legal basis to relocate. Pasifika nations have little to no voice in international energy policy, and exert, at most, limited Read more
Micah Puia lives in a shanty town on a dirty beach in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. He is 11 years old, and has lived here all his life. He sleeps in a raised fibro hut. He lives with his grandparents and several cousins, attends second grade at a local school and swims Read more
Pope Francis has advised Kenyan young people to resist the temptations of corruption which affects all aspects of life, and is present in the Vatican. Francis said corruption is not only present in politics but almost everywhere, including the institution he leads. “Even in the Vatican there are cases of corruption,” he said. Francis’s comments Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand Director, Julianne Hickey, is bringing the voices of Pacific peoples affected by climate change to a global audience at the historic Paris Climate Change conference (COP 21) in December. She is one of only two leaders to represent the 165 member organisations of the Caritas Internationalis confederation and will speak at an event Read more
The service, ‘Prayer For Our Common Home’, will take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday 28th November at 2pm, immediately following the march.
The government needs to urgently prepare for the impact of the rising sea level, both in New Zealand and in Pacific Island nations, says Catholic social justice agency Caritas. “Caritas welcomes the report of the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, which warns around 9,000 low-lying New Zealand homes are most at risk from sea level Read more
AN estimated one-third of the population of Papua New Guinea is now suffering in from the country’s worst drought this century and experts predict El Nino’s influence will carry on until March next year. The Red Cross in Papua New Guinea says drought-resistant crops and food supplies are desperately needed in the drought-affected Highlands. The Read more
The prime minister of Fiji Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama says New Zealand and Australia are bad neighbours. He says they are putting their own economic interests ahead of the need to protect Pacific Island nations from the effect of climate change. “I won’t be going to Paris wearing the usual friendly, compliant Pacific smile,” warned Bainimarama. Read more
