The effects of sea level rises continue to be felt across the Pacific. But they are starting to affect the Samoan communities that depend upon the ocean for their livelihood.

Earlier this week, the International Panel on Climate Change (I.P.C.C) report, compiled by hundreds of the world’s top scientists, found that within the next two decades, global temperatures are likely to rise by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A rise of that level would bring about widespread environmental destruction and extreme weather events.

In the village of Solosolo on the island of Upolu, 64-year-old fisherman Lilo Asiasi from Luatuanuu has been fishing for nearly 30 years.

He started fishing in 1994, and can remember when the sea was more outwards compared to its current location today, right next to the road.

“There have been a lot of changes,” he said.

“And there are a lot of changes in the climate these days. Many changes, sometimes there are no fish at all compared to previous years.”

He shared his disappointment that the sea had begun to move inward to a place where houses were once located, pointing out there is now a seawall to stop the waves.

In terms of his daily catch, he recalls once bringing back 27 fish in a day, but says that now sometimes there are no fish to catch.

“The seawall is what is holding the ocean back,” he said.

Lilo emphasised that actions by other countries that cause climate change should be lessened, because even though seawalls are constructed, it will still reach the top of the wall.

“No matter how big this seawall is, if there are strong waves then rocks would be thrown onto the road, even though the seawall is high,” he said.

He said that there is nothing countries like us could do about it because it is the actions of other countries that are causing climate change.

“We cannot do anything about that, so all countries should unite to stop this and then we would be able to live in a peaceful and safe world,” he said.

Earlier this week, the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum (P.I.F) said in response to the I.P.C.C report that humanity has a choice to make this a turning point to limit global warming to 1.5 degree Celecius, or rather hit a tipping point and face irreversible and catastrophic climate change impacts.

“We can turn this around. But only if we act now,” Secretary-General Puna said.

A report published by Greenpeace - "The State of the Climate in the Pacific 2021” - stated that Pacific Island countries are among the nations of the world least responsible for creating the climate crisis.

“The highest 15 emitting nations together produce 72.21 per cent of global emissions, while Pacific Island Countries (14) produce just 0.23 per cent,” the report reads.

According to the Greenpeace report, Pacific countries are already being affected by sea level rise, which has caused land loss and led to relocation for a number of communities.

“Research shows sea level rise at a rate of 3-6mm per year for the Pacific, with variations between islands,” the report reads.

“Islands in the Western Pacific, such as Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, have experienced sea-level rise of up to 6mm per year, in contrast to islands further east, such as Samoa and Kiribati, which are impacted less by slow-onset events but are no less vulnerable to extreme weather events.

“In 2019, the Solomon Islands lost significant amounts of land including five uninhabited islands and sections of land from six other islands have substantially eroded, forcing communities to relocate.

“These six islands lost 20 per cent of their land between 1947 and 2014. Shoreline erosion in two areas have destroyed villages which have been there since 1935, leading to community relocation, including Nuatambu Island which lost 11 houses and was home to 25 families.

According to the report, since 2011, Nuatambu has lost half its inhabitable area.

“Relocated families from Nuatambu are now living on the nearby large island of Choiseul, and what was once a single village is now broken up into five separate communities, harming generations-old relationships and kinship ties,” the report reads.

The Greenpeace report found that Global emissions in 2018 were 48.94 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

“The biggest emitter was China, with 23.93 per cent of global emissions, followed by the USA, with 11.83 per cent of global emissions,” the report reads.

“Australia was the 15th largest emitter, with 1.27 per cent of global emissions. Taken together, the 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) that have ratified the Paris Agreement comprise just 0.23 per cent of global emissions.”

The report found that the world in 2021 is 1.1 degrees celsius hotter than the pre-industrialisation average and the extreme impacts of a 1.1 degree rise in temperature are already apparent across the planet.

“If all current pledges to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by the world’s nations are achieved, the world is still projected to heat by a median estimate of 2.4 degrees by 2100, with a possible range of 1.9 to 3.0 degrees celsius,” the report reads

“This would result in the alarming extinction of numerous species, a rise in conflict, and the displacement of millions of vulnerable peoples.”