That was the message on everyone’s mind, that everyone talked about, and that was proudly displayed on the t-shirts of more than 100 Marshallese youth who came together on September 21 for a beach cleanup event as their action during the global climate strike.
The Marshallese government has already declared a state of emergency as a result of climate change and is fully invested in developing and implementing a national adaptation plan.
As such, Marshallese youth saw no reason to strike, but sought to plan an event in solidarity with the global actions.
They wanted to come together to do something constructive for their community, to raise awareness about climate change, and to help start to tell a different story about their community and the challenges they face.
Milañ Loeak (Pacific Climate Warrior – Council of Elders), Bryant J Zebedy (350 Marshall Islands Coordinator). Jina David (Program Manager, Jo-Jikum), AJ Alik (IOM), Absalom D. “Barab” Edwards (Pacific Climate Warriors RMI team member, and Broderick Menke (Pacific Climate Warrior RMI team member) led the “Pacific Pawa Shift” cleanup event. The event was organized by 350 Pacific Climate Warriors and Jo-Jikum, a Marshall Islands based nonprofit co-founded by Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner with the support of the Marshall Islands sub-office of International Organization for Migration, University of the South Pacific, College of the Marshall Islands, Kumit Bobrae Coalition, Waan Aelon in Majel, Youth to Youth In Health, Majuro Atoll Waste Company, Marshall Islands Conservation Society, Marshall Islands Epidemiology and Prevention Initiatives, and Majuro Atoll Local Government.
Beach cleanups were organized at two locations on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands: Delap Park in near the nation’s capital and Wilfred I. Kendall Memorial Park, Arrak, near the more rural western end of the atoll. Dozens of large bags of garbage were collected at both locations as well as many larger items washed ashore from the ocean including nets, coolers, boat wreckage, and an entire fence.
Dengue Fever continues to spread in Majuro. Undeterred, the organizers and volunteers carried on-- with music, laughter and plenty of bug spray.
As one of the organizers, Barab Edwards who has returned to live in the Marshall Islands after spending most of his life in Springdale, Arkansas put it, “just because we’re cleaning up, doesn’t mean we can’t take it easy.”
There were plenty of people to get the work done, and they did it well, but they made sure to have a great time, too. At the end of the day, there was a cookout, live music, and plenty more fun lasting late into the night.
At the same time, youth are very aware and very concerned about climate change.
They know their futures are uncertain.
They know that the ocean will spit more plastic back on the beaches and that they’ll have to be cleaned again soon.
In fact, throughout the event, people discussed different ideas to keep the beaches cleaner. One was to install a net to catch garbage before it washes up on the beach.
The Marshall Islands is not the desolate or hopeless place you might assume it to be—and people here, especially youth, want the rest of the world to know that.
While most of the media about the Marshall Islands is all doom and gloom, people here are generally pretty happy. They are not giving up on their futures or their country, and neither should you.
This is the story that needs to be told about the Marshall Islands:
People love it here.
People make a point of enjoying life. They also know climate change is a very real threat. But climate change does not define them.
There is so much more to life in the Marshall Islands.