“Teaching my children about adaptation is hard - none of us really know what will happen in the next 10, 20, 30 years,” explains our friend Lulu who works for Tuvalu’s Department of the Environment and is tasked with developing plans for action and adaptation on the tiny island nation. “But I hope that if they choose to stay in this land, that will be a choice they can make themselves - that they will not become climate refugees.” Lulu’s ancestors have lived on the archipelago that makes up this tiny South Pacific nation for some 3000 years. Coconuts and freshly caught fish abound, but the traditional way of life is shifting on the island - and at an accelerated pace. The average elevation in Tuvalu is a mere two meters above sea level, and even by conservative climate model projections, Lulu's children and grandchildren will face serious struggles if they are to remain on their ancestral land and adapt to rising sea levels. In the last couple decades the idea of “climate refugees” has begun to infiltrate the vocabulary of low lying island nations like Tuvalu, raising questions for many elders in the community as to what the future will hold for their children. I have posted these words before, and this image as well. I am sharing again today in the hopes of amplifying the voices of Elsie (pictured here), her father Lulu (quoted) and other @pacificclimatewarriors and youth around the world who are stepping up to advocate on behalf of our shared future and planet. If you (like me) are in a privileged enough position today to be using social media, hypothesizing on climate change in it’s more abstract forms, striking, marching, etc, please also give some thought and attention to the plight of the people of Tuvalu and other less economically, structurally or geographically insulated communities who have been and will continue to be on the front lines of the climate crisis. #Tuvalu #ClimateStrike #PacificPawa #PacificClimateWarriors #fridaysforfuture #climateaction (at Tuvalu) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2pbxwzHBTq/?igshid=tlsn6ccorg59