Climate Change Now And The Evacuation Of A Pacific Island
- Organizer: A/P/A Institute at NYU
- Venue: NYU Palladium Hall, 3rd Floor
- Address:
140 East 14th Street
New York, 10003
Presented by The Wallerstein Collaborative for Urban Environmental Education, NYU International House, Office for International Students and Scholars, Asian/Pacific/American Institute, and Center for Multicultural Education & Programs at New York University
RSVP by Monday, Sept. 21st online at https://apa.nyu.edu/ or email: apa.rsvp@nyu.edu or call 212-992-9653. Space is limited.
Event is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the completion of “Sun Come Up.” For more information about the film, visit www.suncomeup.com.
The Carteret Islanders are some of the world’s first climate refugees. They are a community living on a remote island chain 50 miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Led by Ursula Rakova, the islanders are among the first to organize a community-wide evacuation as a result of climate change.
The islanders share a rich tradition of music, dance, and storytelling. For centuries, they’ve lived on a diet of fresh fish, bananas and vegetables, and without cars, electricity, or running water. Their carbon footprint leaves one of the lightest impressions on the planet. Now, however, a modern crisis has intruded upon them, and their idyllic community is on the verge of dramatic change. Small islands like this stand at the frontlines of climate change. Rising seas contaminate their fresh water and gardening land, erode the shoreline and contribute to severe and unpredictable weather.
“Sun Come Up” follows relocation leader Ursula Rakova – a dynamic and powerful leader – and a group of young people from the islands as they search for a new place to call home. Ursula is racing to secure land for her people on nearby Bougainville before the next high tide season strikes. But the move will not be easy – Bougainville itself is recovering from a violent civil war. Leaving behind a peaceful existence on a remote atoll, the islanders must adapt to a community suffering the aftershock of war.
A ten-minute excerpt of “Sun Come Up” will be screened followed by a rare opportunity to speak with Ursula Rakova.