What would you do if your neighbour demolished your home, and then sold your land to the highest bidder? You would likely call the police, the property ombudsman, or whoever had the power to stop it. Unfortunately for those of us in the Pacific, the people with the power to stop this happening don’t see our rights as a priority.

We’ve spent the last 20 years arguing for international action on climate change with very little effect and now we’re down to our last line of defence. This is why we’ve been compelled to take action and block Australia’s largest coal port in Newcastle today. Some will call us eco-terrorists and claim that we are just here causing trouble, but wouldn’t you do the same if it was your country was under threat?



The Marshall Islands, where I was born and call home, is one of the most remote places in the world. We are a collection of 24 tiny atoll islands located halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii.

As island people, we’ve traditionally enjoyed a close relationship with the sea. But lately the sea has become a source of fear. We have suffered through droughts and continue to be threatened by sea level rise. Earlier this year over 1,000 people were forced to be evacuated after king tides rose across our homes. Just last week king tides hit the islands again, destroying homes, businesses and infrastructure across the country.

Ailuk atoll, Marshall Islands. Photograph: Alamy

Despite what some may say, it’s been scientifically proven that these extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and severity because of climate change.

Every few years scientists and world leaders come together to mourn what is happening on the islands and to discuss potential actions which may be taken to mitigate climate change, knowing full well that by the time these actions are taken it will already be too late to save our homes. In the most recent conference in New York, discussion moved beyond talk of salvaging our islands and our culture to the financial measures required to assist with relocation. The question is no longer if, but when.

Yet we won’t give up our homes so easily. We have chosen to fight and not to drown. This is why I’ve chosen to come to Australia, along with several of my brothers and sisters from 11 other Pacific island nations, to confront the neighbour that is profiting from the destruction of our homes.

We’re blockading the world’s largest coal port in Newcastle to show that elsewhere in the world, whole nations are paying the price for Australia’s coal and gas wealth.

It’s common knowledge that the burning of fossil fuels is the greatest man-made contributor to climate change. Australia is the world’s second largest coal exporter, with plans to triple those exports in the coming years. It is also one of the world’s largest gas exporters, with plans underway to make Australia the largest exporter in the world. In defending these plans Tony Abbott said “coal is good for humanity”. I have to ask, are we not part of humanity? These plans do nothing to help the Pacific islands and yet we are the ones who will lose everything because of them.

Blocking the Newcastle port may not, in the end, make even the slightest bit of difference to the mining companies of the world, but our aim is to send a message to the organisations that profit from the extraction of fossil fuels: they can no longer distance themselves from the impacts of their actions.

We’re calling on the Australian public to come and join us in saying no to the building of new coal and gas infrastructure. We’re imploring you to stand with us, canoe against coal ship, and help us defend our homes against those who would seek to destroy it. Climate change is an issue which will eventually affect every individual on this planet and some day, you may need someone else’s help to defend your home too.

