Oceania

Written by: Kimberly White In December, Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage, confirmed the plastic bag phase out for retailers. From July 1, 2019, retailers will be prohibited from selling or giving away single-use plastic shopping bags. As of 2018, the nation...

Written by: Kimberly White The Government of Samoa has launched an ambitious new strategy to protect and preserve its ocean area.  Samoa’s culture and economy are intertwined with its marine health. Samoa’s land mass accounts for less than three percent of...

Written by: Elizabeth Claire Alberts Palau has become the first nation to ratify the high seas treaty, a legally binding international agreement that seeks to protect and manage ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction. Other countries, including Chile and the Maldives,...

Written by: Kimberly White The Australian Government has announced that the inaugural Global Nature Positive Summit will take place in Sydney. The Summit aims to mobilize billions of dollars of funding to repair nature.  Co-hosted by the Australian Government and the...

Written by: Christiaan De Beukelaer I went sailing on a bright yellow outrigger canoe in the Marshall Islands in March. On board were Alson Kelen, founder of Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM, Canoes of the Marshall Islands), and a group of youngsters...

Written by: Elizabeth Claire Alberts The Polynesian tree snail, a tiny mollusk about the size of an aspirin pill, used to be found in abundance on Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia. But about 30 years ago, the little snail...

Written by: Kimberly White The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a landmark resolution seeking an advisory opinion on the issue of climate change and human rights from the world's highest court.  Led by the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, the...

Written by: Kimberly White  The Pacific island of Niue may be small, covering only 261 square kilometers, but it is making waves in the world of ocean conservation. The Government of Niue announced a bold new strategy to protect its...

Written by: Kimberly White  Vanuatu's call for the International Court of Justice to render an advisory opinion on the issue of climate change and human rights has received backing from island states as well as a myriad of civil society...

Written by: Janine Mohamed, Pat Anderson, and Veronica Matthews The urgency of tackling climate change is even greater for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and other First Nation peoples across the globe. First Nations people will be disproportionately affected...