“We stack sandbags to survive” – Kiribati youth tells of lived reality

For Tabita Awerika of Kiribati, the climate crisis isn’t just another policy issue – its seawater flooding into her front yard on a daily basis.

A senior land planning officer and youth climate advocate, Awerika shared her deeply personal experiences with land loss and daily climate survival on the sidelines of the Pacific Youth Dialogue on Loss and Damage in Apia, Samoa on Friday.

“We live next to the lagoon. During king tides, the waves just come right up onto the land and into our homes. We also have our well just infront of our home and this is affected by salt water intrusion,” she said.

“As soon as the tide drops, we rush to stack sandbags around the property.”

She’s lost count of how many times they’ve done this.

“I’m not proud of this, but we use the sand from the ocean front… because we have no other choice.”

With rising seas threatening freshwater supplies, Tabita and her family rely on desalinated and store-bought water. Well water is no longer safe to drink but is used for other purposes like bathing.

The young advocate didn’t hold back when asked how land loss affects her community.

“It’s an emotional topic. If the land is gone, that’s the end of your culture, your traditions, your roots. Your identity. Without your culture, you’re nothing.”

She believes the slow erosion of land brings with it a slow erosion of the Kiribati way of life – how people fish, cook, gather, worship, and live with the ocean. “If people are relocated, they must adapt to a new place. And eventually, traditions and culture erode.”

Bring COP to the Pacific – but bring unity too

Awerika said the idea of hosting a COP in Australia, as a "Pacific COP" is essential for bringing the region's lived realities to the global stage.

“One of our main challenges is lack of funding and the distance,” she said. “If it’s hosted in Australia, more Pacific Islands can attend and give a real picture of what’s happening back home.”

But she urged that before bringing COP to the region, Pacific nations must speak with one voice.

“We need to talk to each other, identify our priorities, harmonise them, and present a collective message to the world,” she said.

“Rather than clashing or presenting different views.”

“Talk without action is just another loss”

Awerika is determined to turn her experience at the dialogue into impact at home.

“I want to take back the message that discussion needs to be accompanied by groundwork. If we talk and there’s no action, there will be no outputs. It will just be another loss.”

To her fellow Pacific youth, she had this challenge:

“Get out of your comfort zones. Engage with other youth – in your country and across the region. Our needs and challenges are similar. We must support each other, and if one attends a meeting overseas, they must speak on behalf of us all.”

At the heart of her message is urgency.

“We need to keep going. Keep talking, yes. But we must act. We can’t afford to wait.”