We’re standing up for the livelihood of people in the Pacific islands by demanding energy independence, and fairness in how we deal with the impacts of climate change. In May 2024, we launched the Our Pawa campaign. The Pacific Climate Warriors (PCW) and our Council of Elders led an action outside the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, as part of a three-day program which included traditional ceremonies, storytelling, training and a rally.
The word “pawa” means “power” in the Tok Pisin language, spoken in Papua New Guinea. Our campaign shows the strength of Pacific peoples working together to face the climate crisis. With this campaign, we’re asking leaders in Australia and around the world to:
In August 2024, we brought these demands to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders (PIFL) meeting. This forum is a big gathering where leaders from across the Pacific region come together to talk about major issues, like climate change, ocean protection, and economic development – a great opportunity for us to get our demands in front of key decision-makers.
At the event, the Tuvalu Minister for Climate Change, faith leaders, and partner organizations stood with us at a press conference to push for action. We made clear our expectations for climate action and we increased pressure on Australia, the biggest fossil fuel producer in the group, to stop mining for and burning coal and gas.
Even though civil society was given little space to participate in the official meetings, our message cut through. There was strong media coverage and a wave of public support. Once again, it showed that Pacific communities are ready to lead the transition to a clean and fair energy future that works for everyone.
What is the 350 Pacific Council of Elders?
The Council of Elders is a group of highly respected leaders who help guide 350.org’s strategy in the Pacific. It includes people from all Pacific regions – Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia – as well as from Pacific communities living in other parts of the world. The Council makes sure that our work in the Pacific is done in a way that listens to communities, supports collaboration and lasts over time.
One of our main goals at 350.org is to make sure local communities have what they need to articulate their views, speak up, and be heard by those in power. While the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders were meeting, we held our first Our Pawa training in Tonga. More than 200 Tongan youth and school students joined workshops to learn how to lead successful campaigns, tell powerful stories, reach out to the media and organize in their communities. After the training, they brought these new skills and ideas back to their villages, churches, and schools – helping to spread the message even further.
On the same morning that the United Nations launched the “Surging Seas Report” on sea level rise, we held the Build Better Now Parade. It was a chance for Our Pawa participants to take action together and show what they had learned. Marching through the streets of Tonga, they proudly shouted the message of the Pacific Climate Warriors: “We are not drowning, we are fighting!” – we shared their powerful message across our channels, making sure the whole world heard them.
Working with communities means absorbing their culture, honouring their traditions, and learning how they like to communicate. When we follow their lead, we find new, creative and meaningful ways to reach more people, and our messages become part of popular culture.
We had a great example of this in August 2024. Knowing that beauty pageants are a big deal in many Pacific countries and attract a lot of public attention, we sponsored Brianna Fruean’s entry to the Miss South Pacific Pageant. In this very popular cultural event, she took to the stage as Miss Pacific Climate Warriors to talk about climate change as part of her pageant performance.
Brianna’s participation was carefully planned to represent the values and goals of the Pacific Climate Warriors. She was dressed in a specially-designed traditional Pacific sarong, featuring artwork from the Our Pawa campaign, representing the important changes we want leaders to make to protect our islands. She carried a coconut megaphone, to represent the PCW’s commitment to lifting up the young voices speaking out for climate justice.
With these powerful symbols, Brianna turned her climate activism into a fashion statement, and used the stage as a platform to make a fiery speech to the vast audience, sharing Our Pawa’s vision for the future: safe, clean, and affordable energy, for people to continue to thrive even in the face of the climate crisis.