I write with deep concern of the Tongan environment.
Environmental issues have long limited the Pacifica people in accordance with health, human rights, dignity and security.
As a Pacifica person passionate about the ongoing and upcoming generation, I question the environmental issues faced by the people.
The environmental issues faced by Tonga and the neighboring islands is caused by consequences of climate change, global carbon emissions, historical nuclear testing.
In Tonga, the main livelihood of most people come from the environment involving agriculture and fishery.
Tonga’s source of living is deteriorating. We are also watching, with unease, as Japan discharges nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
For many in the Pacific, the ocean is not only a food source — it is our identity, our history, and our future. We cannot afford to gamble on its health.
Pollution of both plastic and wastewater, overfishing and illegal fishing, dependency on imported fossil fuels, deforestation contributes to climate issues.
However, climate change is not a distant theory for Tonga — it is our daily reality.
Rising sea levels are swallowing our shores, saltwater is contaminating our crops, and cyclones are striking with increasing intensity.
Despite contributing the least to climate change, we are among the first to feel the impacts. We are drowning in crisis we did not create.
Our land is disappearing, our crops are struggling, and every time a cyclone hits, we wonder if this one will be worse than the last.
Climate change isn’t coming — it’s already here.
While we are grateful for international aid and climate pledges, real support means more than promises. We need urgent action: investment in renewable energy, protection for our fisheries, and respect for Indigenous knowledge and leadership.
The time has come for both global powers and our own leaders to listen – not only to political voices but to the wisdom of our elders, the urgency of our youth, and the cries of our land and sea.
The environment is not separate from us. It is us. Let us act now, before we lose what makes Tonga truly beautiful and strong.
“Koe ngaahi nima ‘oku fakataha ‘oku ne langa ha kaha’u lelei” because there is still a chance — but it costs courage and unity.
Ilisapesi Tukutukunga is a student at the University of The South Pacific, Tonga campus.