Nauru’s Life On The Frontlines

International
October 31, 2018
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6.30-8pm
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The Alderman, 134 Lygon St East Brunswick
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45 minutes presentation, 45 minutes discussion
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**CLIMATE CHANGE, INCARCERATION, EXTRACTION & COLONISATION ** International perceptions of the Pacific Island nation of Nauru are dominated by two interrelated stories. Until the turn of the century, it was the dramatic boom and bust of Nauru’s phosphate mine, and the mismanagement of its considerable wealth, that captured global attention. Then, in 2001, Nauru become one of two Pacific sites for Australia’s offshore incarceration of asylum seekers and refugees. As money from the extraction of phosphate began to wane, Nauru became increasingly reliant on the income generated through the detention industry. There is a third story that is often overlooked, one that will heavily determine the island’s future. Everyone on Nauru – Indigenous Nauruans and refugees alike – is experiencing the impacts of one the greatest social, economic and political threats faced by the world today: global environmental change. A few weeks ago I was invited to Nauru by the Ministry for Environment to speak with people about the intersecting environmental and social challenges the island is facing. This talk will recount what I learnt through interviews, fieldrecordings and conversations about Nauru’s plans for climate mitigation and adaptation. 
Listen to the session:
Nauru’s Life On The Frontlines