Bill Shorten's at climate change frontline - the Marshall Islands

T

his really is the frontline of climate change.

Marshall Islands is a fascinating place.

It has a history of master mariners and 2000-year-old stick charts that are roadmaps of the sea with sticks indicating currents like roads. Because of Marshall Islanders’ connection with the US, there is an extensive diaspora, but that also means the island of Ebeye, which is connected to Kwajalein Atoll, is more densely populated than Manhattan – 15,000 people on around 80 acres (or about 32 hectares).

While visiting Marshall Islands, we met with representatives from the International Organization for Migration working on their climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction and education (CADRE) program. This is a program aimed at building resilience for approximately 10,000 school-aged students at up to 50 locations.

Read Bill Shorten’s story in The Labor Herald - “In Bill’s words: climate change in the Marshall Islands.”