UU200 Ethics and Governance

Assessment 4: Research Essay

Pasifika Response and Moral Obligation as Global Citizens

To Climate Change

University of the South Pacific

Student Name:

Student ID:

Tutorial Day & Time: Friday 1pm to 3pm

Tutor’s Name: Mr. Eroni Rakuita

RESEARCH ESSAY: QUESTION 1

“Extreme heat is a killer… Every heatwave occurring today is made more likely and more
intense by human caused climate change” (https://theconversation.com/how-likely-would-
britains-40-c-heatwave-have-been-without-climate-change-187368).

As the world heats up around us, how should the people and governments of the Pacific respond
to this crisis? What is our moral obligation as global citizens? Refer to ethical
interconnectedness, anthropocentrism, the formula of humanity principle and two approaches of
governance in your essay. You must support your arguments with examples from the Pacific.

ESSAY: (Approximately 1454 words)

Climate change and global warming, although are a globally and naturally occurring
phenomenon, are rapidly being intensified by human activities. One of the main impacts of this
human-induced climate change, is heatwaves, which is when the maximum or minimum
temperatures at a particular geographical location is abnormally hot over a certain period of days,
compared to the past temperature of the same location (Bureau of Meteorology, 2014). People
and governments in the Pacific can further respond to the climate crisis, because we are also
being severely impacted by human-induced climate change, therefore warranting our immediate
and further regional intervention, in order to meet our moral obligations to the Earth, as global
citizens. The following essay will further highlight some of the ways in which the people and
governments of the Pacific can further respond to the crisis and some important moral
obligations to the environment as global citizens.

To begin with, the use of renewable energy has been on the rise in the Pacific, mainly because it
is more environmentally friendly than energy derived from fossil fuels. Renewable energy usage
has the potential to not only provide energy to most Pacific countries, but also further reduce
their carbon footprint. Governments in the Pacific are more than willing to fully rely on and use
renewable energy, but unfortunately, they lack the necessary finance, infrastructure and
technological and human-capital capacity to undertake that crucial initiative, for example
Kiribati and Tuvalu. However, with the substantial support of foreign organizations that support
renewable energy usage, many Pacific countries are slowly able to undertake the renewable
energy usage, but at modest levels. (Weir, 2018) Even though, the scale of transition is small, it
is still a major achievement for many Pacific countries towards a more sustainable future, thus be
able to, as members of a global community, reduce carbon emissions, therefore reducing global
warming, climate change and heatwaves.

In addition, government policies and regulations that are geared towards sustainability are
another form of response that Pacific Island people and government could undertake to curb the
issue that is climate change. National governance is potentially the key to promoting and further
enhancing sustainability and environmental friendliness within the country itself, and a perfect

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example of this the ban of single-use plastics in Fiji by the Fijian government in 2021.
(LEANNEM, 2020) The use of fiscal and monetary policies, which incorporate the environment
and its related values rather than human-centered values like “profit maximization,” could
contribute tremendously to global warming and climate change mitigation in the Pacific. We live
in an interconnected era, whereby we have become interdependent, and therefore our actions not
only impact us, but also impacts everyone else around us, including the environment, thus
warranting a collective and immediate response by our respective policy makers to ensure that
environmental interests are considered. (Tisdell, 2002) Global support and governance can also
support those who are impeded from procuring such policies and regulations, thus having a more
globalized response to climate change and its various impacts.

To add on, awareness programs and initiatives regarding climate change issues, carbon emissions
and global warming are becoming more frequent, influential and effective in legitimizing a
regional and global response to the climate crisis. Some climate related awareness programs and
initiatives include the United Nations Climate Change Conference, The Paris Agreement (Anon.,
2018), Climate Action Pacific Partnership Conference and the Pacific Climate Change
Conference All of which are initiatives geared towards discussing, supporting and legitimizing
the much-needed climate crisis response, not only here in the Pacific, but across the world as
well. Pacific Islanders, especially today’s youths, are now at the forefront of climate change,
experiencing one its worst effects, sea-level rise, which may not necessarily be the same as the
heatwaves experienced by other parts of the world, but since both are caused by human induced
climate change, it validated a growing tremendous support for these regional and global
initiatives amongst many young Pacific Islanders (Samantha Cocco-Klein, 2018). Following the
formula of humanity principle, people’s lives, dignity and future must be protected, especially
those who are severely impacted by climate change. Hence, these initiatives play a vital role in
promoting the dignity and rights of these individuals, which also includes us since we live in an
interconnected era.

Moreover, apart from the responses of Pacific people and our respective governments, as
individuals, we also have moral obligations as global citizens to planet Earth. Pacific society and
society in general today, is more technologically advanced, informed, educated, liberated and
above all, interconnected and interdependent, which makes every person, able to exercise human
reasoning and therefore be more critical about the decisions and actions we make because it not
only impacts us, but it also impacts the environment around us (Fahlquist, 2009). Apart from
modern day knowledge, Pacific Islanders can call upon sacred knowledge from their various
cultures, traditions and heritage and religion to further understand their responsibility and duty to
live a harmonious life with mother nature herself. Living a sustainable life with nature, without
compromising other living things that rely on nature, like animals and insects, is more of a
suitable and morally and environmentally ethical way of living, thus also fulfilling our moral
obligations as people who belong to one planet, which is Earth itself. (Tony Crook, 2019) Thus,

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incorporating environmental duties and obligations into our modern lifestyle may also help in the
global efforts to try and mitigate global warming and climate change.

Furthermore, Pacific people, communities and governments can all engage in, promote and
implement environmentally friendly governance withing their respective boundaries to
contribute to the global efforts in mitigating global warming and climate change. People, instead
of taking an anthropocentric view of life, could, due to their capacity to reason, take a biocentric
view of life and try and promote and implement “environmental governance” at a smaller scale,
such as buying eco-friendly products, recycling and not using plastic, at an individual or
community level (Siwatibau, 2008). Thus, aiding national, regional and global climate change
mitigation efforts. Governments could incorporate “environmental governance” into their
various organizations and bodies, in order to fulfill corporate and national level moral obligations
to the environment and try and reduce the carbon footprint and environmental damage, such as
using a virtual file system instead of a paper based one, in all levels of government, in order to
promote a sense of accountability and responsibility towards the environment (Nathan J. Bennett,
2018). So, if we use our human reasoning capacity, we should be able to understand that efforts,
either individually or collectively, matters in this interconnected world, thus we must fulfill our
duties as global citizens and take part in mitigating climate change and global warming.

Lastly, protecting the interests of those who are severely impacted by the effects of human
caused climate change since they are the most vulnerable. Climate issues today are mostly the
result of years of carbon emissions from human activity, and humans are now experiencing the
consequences of their self-centered actions. Since we are the cause of it, it is only just and fair
that we play our part in the fight against climate change. An example of this, within the Pacific
would be the numerous climate change associated initiatives and movements that have core
values centered around protecting the environment in order to mitigate global warming and
climate change, such as the planting of mangroves and other trees and plants to offset carbon
emissions in Fiji (World Wildlife Fund - Pacific, 2018), the use of renewable energy like solar
power in Niue (Government of Niue, 2015) and the Pacific Island countries commitment to
achieving zero-net emission economies (Pacific Community, n.d.). All in efforts to safeguard and
promote climate change mitigation values and efforts, thus being able to commit to global efforts
as interconnected citizens of planet Earth, in trying to mitigate global warming and climate
change. So only by collective efforts and support geared towards global warming and climate
change issues, can we be able to curb the issues of heatwaves, sea-level rise and other extreme
weather pattern changes.

In conclusion, as aptly stated above, responses of Pacific people and governments to the climate
crisis, are warranted, not only by the fact that they are severely impacted by it, but also by their
moral obligations to the environment as citizens of a global community. Here in the Pacific, our
individual responses and obligations may not be as significant as we think they should be, on the
global stage, but only as a united region can our efforts and voices be recognized and

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acknowledged. I can only recommend and acknowledge further support by stakeholders and the
growing commitment and moral obligations being undertaken to mitigate the climate crisis at
hand.

Bibliography
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Change Initiatives. [Online]
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Bureau of Meteorology, 2014. Understanding Heatwaves. [Online]

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Fahlquist, J. N., 2009. Moral Responsibility for Environmental Problems—Individual or Institutional?.

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LEANNEM, 2020. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. [Online]

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Pacific Community, n.d. Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability. [Online]

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Samantha Cocco-Klein, B. M., 2018. Children's Leadership on Climate Change: What Can We Learn from
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Siwatibau, S., 2008. Ethical dimensions for sustaining our environment: A Pacific Island perspective. In:
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Tisdell, C., 2002. The Environment and Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific: Views and Policies.
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