23 June 2023 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Freya Mutimer
In this enlightening interview, Perk Pomeyie (@perk_gh) shares his invaluable insights as a key figure in the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement – a youth-led environmental policy advocacy and non-violent campaign group in Ghana. Perk reflects on his firsthand experiences witnessing the devastating impacts of climate change on his homeland. He also offers his perspective on how governments can step up their efforts to address this pressing issue, as well as his personal journey of becoming an environmental activist.
06 May 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Skand Agarwal
In this interview, correspondent Skand Agarwal talks to Ruth Dzokoto about the impacts of climate change in Ghana. Drawing on her very personal experiences with climate change-induced natural disasters and even climate migration, Ruth shares her story as a climate educator. Along the way, Ruth also addresses the fact that climate migration is a highly gendered issue, which can even lead to child marriage and child pregnancy.
Together, they explore the challenges that climate educators face even in areas that are severely impacted by climate change themselves. Based on this conversation, Ruth outlines demands for the international community to support her incredible work.
“Currently, as I am talking to you, my mom, my dad and my siblings are no more where they used to be. They had to migrate to different locations because the sea had taken over their home. It is making them migrate to different settlements where they don’t even know anything about the place. Some young ladies and girls have to end up settling at places where they are going to be with men just because they need a roof over their head. This, I think, is the major cause of teenage pregnancy or unwanted pregnancy in the community.”
22 April 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Samantha Chinyoka
In this interview, correspondent Samantha Chinyoka speaks with Carlos Mugumira from Zimbabwe. Carlos shares his experiences as a survivor of the horrendous Cyclone Idai that hit Zimbabwe in 2019. The UN reported 602 deaths with many more people still missing. By the time, Carlos was working on electrical installations in the Chimanimani area, which was greatly affected by the cyclone. He narrates how events unfolded, the impact the cyclone had on his life, and the lessons learnt from this extreme weather event.
In conclusion to sharing his personal experiences, Carlos highlights the need for intersectoral cooperation to better prepare for such events, to well-educate and conscientize the communities on climate change, and the need for government action for climate adaptation and resilience.
“The warnings did not fully explain the intensity and danger of the cyclon. The government needs to spread information and raise awareness on climate change, especially in rural areas were not many people are educated. They need to engage and collaborate with those who study weather patterns for accurate information on the potential dangers and put more stringent measures to evacuate people before such tragic events occur.”
Carlos Mugumira is a qualified Class 1 Electrician who holds a National Certificate in Electrical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Physics. His full time job mainly involves solar power system installations and maintenance. He is also a part time small-scale farmer.
08 April 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Ole ter Wey
In this interview, correspondent Ole ter Wey speaks with Alicia Wallace from The Bahamas. Alicia is the director of Equality Bahamas, Steering Committee Member of Feminist Alliance for Rights, and also a self-described Queer Black Feminist. Together they discuss the devastating impact of constantly recurring hurricanes on the land, people and economy of The Bahamas, as well as discuss necessary policy intervention points.
The interview focuses on the intersectionality of climate change. Using many practical and real-world examples from her own experiences, Alicia brings this abstract academic construct to life and shows how climate change is hitting already marginalized groups particularly hard. Concrete policy recommendations are then derived from these insights.
“The climate crisis is affecting people in different ways. It’s never just about ‘those people’, we’re not a homogenous group. You have women, you have young people, you have aýoung women, you have people with disabilities, you have young people with disabilities. There are all these layers to who we are [and that shape appropriate policies].”
Alicia Wallace is a queer Black feminist, gender expert, and research consultant. She is the Director of Equality Bahamas which promotes women’s and LGBTQ+ rights as human rights through public education, community programming, and advocacy.
She is passionate about social justice work and using creativity as a tool. She is skilled in creating safe spaces for critical dialogue and passionate about activating imagination, collective visioning, and creating feminist futures.
Alicia is an Advisor and the Online Education Coordinator at Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, former Regional Coordinator at FRIDA the Young Feminist Fund, and a steering committee member of Feminist Alliance for Rights (FAR). She has a weekly column on social and political issues in the Bahamian daily newspaper The Tribune and has published academic papers. She enjoys reading, cycling, baking, having dessert, and talking to everyone and no one at the same time on Twitter as @_AliciaAudrey.
25 March 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Polly Nash
In this interview, correspondent Polly Nash talks to Marinel Ubaldo about her first-hand experience of Super Typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines in 2013 and devastated Marinel’s community and family home. The pair discuss Marinel’s subsequent climate activism and the vital need for people from the Global North to pass on the microphone to those from the Global South who are most severely impacted by climate related disasters.
“I felt like I couldn’t live in my house anymore … even just hearing the waves crashing nearby gave me trauma, gave me chills.”
“If our government were really serious about keeping people safe they should have relocated people living on the shore, because after Super Typhoon Haiyan we’re still facing the same risks and the same hazards”
11 March 2022 – by Earth Refuge Correspondent Ole ter Wey
In this week’s interview, correspondent Ole ter Wey talks to climate activist Grace Fong about the importance of climate education. Drawing on her very personal experiences with the impacts of climate change in her home country of Fiji, Grace Fong provides insights into what led her to work for Climate Science, an international organization that promotes comprehensive and accessible climate education for children and young adults around the world.
“Imagine if the politicians that are in power right now had this climate change education when they were in school. That can impact all their decisions they make right now taking into account the whole problem.“
26 March 2021 – conducted by Earth Refuge Correspondent Aubrey Calaway
Native climate justice organizer Ruth Miller discusses her work towards an indigenized just transition amidst urgent threats to her people and land. She frames this struggle within the historical context of colonial violence and forced settlement of native Alaskan communities, pointing to the need to center indigenous knowledge in national and international policy.
Ruth is a Dena’ina Athabaskan and Ashkenazi Russian Jewish woman, raised in Anchorage, Alaska. She is a member of the Curyung Tribe, and also has roots in Bristol Bay. Ruth is the Climate Justice Director for Native Movement, a matriarchal grassroots Indigenous organization that fights for the rights of Indigenous peoples, our lands and waters, and justice for our ancestors and descendants. She has worked many years towards climate justice and a regenerative economy for all on her lands and beyond, including international advocacy with the United Nations Association and SustainUS. She is a daughter, a granddaughter, and aunty, a language learner, a traditional beadworker, and a subsistence fisherwomxn.
19 March 2021 – conducted by Earth Refuge Correspondent James Sedlak
In this interview, Jon and Martha, a family living in Sonoma County, California, share their experience with wildfire and a drying climate. From running a natural wine label to raising a newborn son, they have faced unique climate challenges. They speak about stories of evacuation, a changing community, and their personal question of migration.
In the following interview, conducted by James Sedlack, Maura discusses her experience dealing with coastal flooding, public works issues, and questions of migration as former mayor and long-term resident of Mastic Beach, NY, a small coastal town on Long Island. For more perspective on Maura’s story, please see her short film with The Nature Conservancy on Long Island water quality.
12 February 2021 – submitted by Earth Refuge Correspondent Aubrey Calaway
Cambodian tour guide Chem Vichhai talks with Aubrey Calaway about extreme weather and ailing ecosystems in his home providence of Siem Reap. Taking us inside different stops on his tour, Vichhai describes how local residents of the Prek Toal Floating Village community- and Cambodia as a whole- are struggling to adapt to a changing climate.
What is your name and where in the world do you call home?
My name is Chem Vichhai and I am from Siem Reap, Cambodia. Right now, I am living in Battambang province with my parents, which is my hometown. I moved from Siem Reap-Battambang because of Covid-19.
What kind of work do you do? And what inspired you to pursue this career?
I am an English-Speaking Tour Guide. I chose this career because I love to speak the English language and want to share the beautiful culture, history, and custom of my country to all the people around the world who come to Cambodia. Besides that, I can meet people from other countries and learn about their country too.
Have you noticed any changes in your local environment, like temperature or weather?
Yes, I have noticed some changes in my local environment. First of all, the temperature has changed every year. Cambodia is a hot country all year ‘round- everybody can usually adapt and get used to it. But for years and years the temperature has been increasing.
In 2019 it was a very hot year because Cambodia got less rain. Normally we get rain in late June until the end of October, which is the rainy season. November to May is the dry season with no rain. But in 2019, it rained very little and made it hard for people in Cambodia to live and farm. The weather is so hot in the dry season (up to 40 C). Some places have no water for use. I think this is unusual if I compare to last year when we got a lot of rain.
2020 is a bad year besides the corona virus. Cambodia is affected by nature too. During the rainy season Cambodia got a huge flood, and it flooded almost the whole country. All farming is gone, especially rice farming.
Do you think these changes are related to climate change?
Yes, looking at all of this, I think the climate is changing because people don’t care about the environment. These changes were a sudden shock to the people in Cambodia.
Have these changes affected your life?
This change has really affected my life. It makes it difficult to work. It is so hot in dry season and all my farming was destroyed by water in the wet season. It is hard to get income to support my family, and sometimes I got sick or dizzy when I work because of heat and high humidity. I do not sleep well during nighttime because of the temperature.
And right now, there are no tourists because of Covid.
Have you been able to adapt?
I have been able to adopt but it is not so easy. Others, [especially] older people, have a big problem with this change.
Can you tell me about one or two of the places where you take tourists?
Angkor Wat Temple is the biggest Hindu temple in the world and a beautiful place for people to visit during their vacation. Angkor Wat was built in the jungle and surrounded by massive moat. On the way to go to see this temple, we can enjoy the big trees that flank the road and [provide] nice shade for people. Can see monkey, bird and other animals too. So, when we arrive inside the temple, everybody feels like they arrived to the heavens or home of God because it is so peaceful.
I also take tourists to Prek Toal Floating Village. This place is so beautiful. Most tourists go this place because they wanted to see the big freshwater lake and watching the beautiful birds, swamp forest, and the floating houses where the local people live. This trip focused on nature and real life of Khmer.
How is the environment important in your work?
If the environment is terrible, I think no tourist will come to my country, so I have no job too. Without the environment, with dirty water, and other things affecting the birds, trees, and fishes, I will find it difficult to work with tourist and just to live myself as well. So, the environment is really important to my work and people in my country.
Are there any communities where you take tour groups that are being affected by changes in the climate or environment?
Yes, there are, including the Prek Toal Floating Village community When climate change happens, it becomes more difficult for people living in their floating village because their lives focus on nature and the environment.
[For] some years people have a hard time finding the fish for consumption because there’s less water. Fish are very important for people who are living in the village. Forest fire also occurred during the dry season and killed animals, birds, and fish that lost their habitat. The people have no land for farming.
Trees are also cut down by people or destroyed by fire, so now there are not so many big trees for connecting their [floating] houses. Without big trees close by, there is no mooring to connect their house and control it from moving when there is a lot of water or wind.
How are people in these communities adapting to these changes?
Even as the climate changes and it makes it difficult for people living in the floating house, the people still stay there and try to adapt to the situation because most of them have no other place to go or live. They try to catch the fish when the water goes down and process it by smoking or drying the fish in order to keep it a long time and eat it later when they can’t find more. Sometimes they plant the vegetables on the floating garden for cooking instead of buying from market.
Some people work as a boat driver or fish worker and other jobs in the village to get some income to support their family. But some people will migrate to the mainland to find a job if there is no food to eat in the village.
Do they receive any support from aid organizations, the government, or others?
Some received support from NGOs and the government, but not everybody. And it is not every month, only something like on time per year or two years.
In your opinion, is there enough work being done to minimize the climate-related issues you’re seeing on the ground?
In my opinion, not enough. In Cambodia, mostly the people don’t care about the environment. They care only about their family. Education is still poor in Cambodia.
I think it will affect things long-term if the people do not protect the environment together. If things do not change, it will impact Cambodia as a whole. People will live and die by climate change one day.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
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