Beneath the surface of serenity, lies a community grappling with the grave impacts of climate change. The journal article entitled “Io, keimami leqataka vakalevu na vei gauna mai muri” (“we are worried about the future generation”): experiences of eco-grief in rural Indigenous Fijians,” sheds light on the emotional toll of environmental degradation on indigenous Fijian populations.

Authored by Amy D. Lykins, Suzanne Cosh, Patrick D. Nunn, Roselyn Kumar, and Cassandra Sundaraja, the study considers the emotions experienced by rural Fijians in the face of climate change. Interviews conducted with seventy-one Indigenous and traditional Fijian adults from seven rural villages, provides a distressing narrative of ecological grief within Pacific small island developing states. Central to these emotional experiences is the loss of biodiversity and natural resources, which serve as the lifeblood of indigenous communities. As coral reefs bleach and species vanish, Fijians mourn not only the loss of ecological wonders but also the erosion of their traditional way of life. The interconnectedness between nature and culture becomes painfully apparent as ancestral customs and traditions face extinction alongside endangered species. It is not only Fijian land but also their cultural heritage that is threatened by displacement as ancestral homes teeter on the brink of submersion due to rising tides.

The findings of this research emphasise the urgent need for understanding of mental health and well-being in the context of climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Pacific. By amplifying the voices of rural Fijians, the study challenges the narrative of climate change as a distant threat echoed in the voices of those most affected. Through empathy and understanding, a pathway can be chartered to a more sustainable and inclusive future.