Collapsing the Distance

Author: Charlie Wang

Caption: I had the fortune to travel to Fiji over the winter break, and my mission to Fiji was:

1. To use photos and videos (lots of drone videos) to draw awareness at Georgetown of rising sea levels in developing countries (especially pacific island countries);

2. To use photos and videos to collapse the distance between USA and developing countries;

3. To show the personal stories behind the statistics you see in the news through interviews in the country.

I spent a significant portion of time there working with the Ministry of Waterways and Environment in understanding post-flood climate resilience and adaptation from the local Fijians as well as their relocation projects. Additionally, I also spent a lot of time visiting the bridges and buildings that were affected by the big flood due to Cyclone Yasa at the start of 2021. Hopefully, I can draw the connection between rising sea level (my main theme) and flooding in the country. Then, I spent time interviewing local Fijians (e.g. market vendors, farmers, fishermen, villagers, store workers, government workers, store owners etc.) on their views about the current situation and their views for the future.

Tags: Extreme Weather Events