Climate Change in Tonga and the South Pacific

Climate change is threatening the survival of Tonga and other South Pacific nations. It is causing sea level to rise, putting coastal communities at risk, and warming ocean temperatures, increasing the strength of cyclones/hurricanes. Cyclone Gita (2018), the strongest cyclone in history to make landfall on Tonga, caused significant damage. In this presentation, Uili Lousi, a climate change activist from Tonga, will discuss the impact of climate change in Tonga and the South Pacific, and his efforts to educate world leaders about the need to reduce carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
 

About the Speaker

Uili Lousi
Uili Lousi

Uili Lousi is a climate change leader for The Kingdom of Tonga and the Pacific. Rising sea levels as a result of climate change threaten the survival of Tonga and other nations in the South Pacific. As a Tongan delegate to multiple United Nations Climate Change Conferences and a panel member with Vice President Al Gore at the Climate Leadership Training in Australia, he raises the voice of the South Pacific region. During his keynote presentation at the Blue Ocean Nexus Conference at the Musee du Quai Branly in Paris, Lousi underscored the need to provide safe waters for humpback whales who give birth in Tongan waters. Uili Lousi is President of the Ohai Foundation Tonga, a nonprofit non-governmental organization devoted to climate change work. Lousi and Dr. David Sattler of Western’s Psychology Department are conducting climate change research projects in Tonga.

Photo of Uili Lousi  (with Dr. David Sattler of WWU) at the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference (the 24th Conference of the Parties - COP24)

Environmental Speaker Series

The Environmental Speaker Series is hosted by the College of the Environment at Western Washington University.

The Series is free and open to the public. Talks are held each Thursday at 4:30 pm in Academic Instructional Center West room 204 - AW-204. Talks will also be streamed via zoom. Register with the Alumni Association for the zoom link. Paid parking is available in lot C.

Learn more about the Environmental Speaker Series
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