Palau becomes first nation to ratify the High Seas Treaty

Cyclones and cultural loss: Climate justice in Vanuatu

Over 3,000 kilometers northeast of Australia lies a delicate string of 83 remote islands, an archipelago that makes up the country of Vanuatu. Here, storms and sea level rise are damaging cultural sites, fracturing local customs, language, and communities, and causing mass displacement. Vanuatu is now leading the call for international climate justice and the legal recognition of UN member states’ responsibilities to address climate change, domestically and abroad.

Image © Dave Hunt-Pool | Damage to homes in Port Vila caused by Cyclone Pam in 2015.

Vanuatu has seven active volcanoes on land and two beneath the sea · Jeremy Piper

Fallen trees and flooding after Category 5 Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu in 2015 · Jeremy Piper

Agricultural damage following Cyclone Pam in 2015, with banana crops nearly wiped out · Jeremy Piper

Erakor Island in the bay of Port Vila, southwest of the capital city · Didier Marti

Kastom Villages maintain traditional Melanesian culture across the islands of Vanuatu · Richard I'Anson

It is estimated that the majority of Vanuatu's total fish catch is consumed outside of commercial markets · Jeremy Piper

Port Vila airport firefighters provide drinking water to residents in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam in March 2015 · Vlad Sokhin