Miss South Pacific: Beauty and the Sea

Told through the voices of the Miss South Pacific pageant contestants, the story of sea level rise in low lying South Pacific islands is a warning to developed countries of things to come if we don't stop carbon emissions. South Pacific Islanders, whose majority lives a subsistence lifestyle dependent on land crops and ocean resources, are at the forefront of the battle against rising sea levels. Even though these Islanders are not to blame for the carbon emissions that are causing sea levels to rise, they are suffering the most from the impacts of global warming. From damaged crops and contaminated ground water due to salt water intrusion, to forced relocations of entire villages, the devastation has spared no low lying Pacific island. This is an important, contemporary story, and serves as a harbinger of the loss of land, food, and culture that will surely overcome us if we can't reverse climate change.