From May 1-7, Oxfam’s images of climate change in the Pacific will be on display in Melbourne’s Federation Square.
In August 2010 Australian photographer Rodney Dekker travelled to the Pacific Island nations of Tuvalu and Kiribati of behalf of Oxfam Australia. The powerful images he captured portray a way of life under threat from climate change. These fragile coral atolls are only a few meters above sea level at their highest points making them very vulnerable to sea level rise and associated climate change impacts.
Reverend Tafue Lusama, a community and church leader featured in Rodney’s photos says,
“When we talk about the impacts of climate change, it’s important to remember that our people depend on land. If we have land, we have life. When our land is being gradually eroded by the sea, we are literally seeing our life being eaten away. We won’t be able to give life to our children and grandchildren — that is how severe it is.”
A selection of Rodney’s images are currently touring Australia and from 1-7 May, ten of his powerful images will be featured as part of Strip Billboard’s ‘The Long and The Short of It” screening daily in Melbourne’s Federation Square.
What you can do
- Visit The Long and The Short of It in Federation Square
- Find an exhibition of Land is Life: Climate Change in the Pacific showing near you
- Watch short multimedia pieces about the impacts of climate change in Tuvalu and Kiribati
