Catching the last wave - the Climate Security Podcast

July 8, 2022

Climate Change is the defining issue of our time, and we are at a defining moment. It undermines human security and acts as a "threat multiplier", exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and risks and aggravating already fragile situations.  

In the Pacific, the risks associated with climate change are not a distant future scenario but are already a reality for millions of people. Island countries are impacted in various ways, including increased average temperatures, saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion,  sea-level rise, and increased intensity and frequency of extreme weather events.

States and communities in the Pacific are at the forefront of these challenges now, but these same challenges will soon affect the entire planet.

Urgent action is required before it is too late. Whether we like it or not, it is a question of when - not if - we will have to deal with the security impacts of climate change.

This is why we need to come together and catch the last wave before it is too late.

The podcast series “Catching the last wave” will explain how climate change is already and will continue shaping the way communities are living. It aims at raising awareness on climate security and foster an effective and informed dialogue on the issue at the regional and global levels, thereby providing an inclusive approach to building resilience.

By interviewing, global, regional and national experts and specialists, the podcasts will explore the negative impacts of climate change in the Pacific region, at the same time increasing the understanding and knowledge on the disaster risks, climate change impacts, and risk management solutions.

The podcast series is part of the joint UNDP-IOM Climate Security Project, funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund.

All episodes

Filimon Manoni

In this first episode of “Catching the last wave”, we had a conversation with Deputy Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Dr Filimon Manoni. Read more.

Robert Glasser

In this episode of “Catching the last wave”, we are honored to host the Head of the Climate and Security Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Dr Robert Glasser. Read more.

Mark Howden

In this episode of “Catching the last wave”, we had a conversation with the Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University and Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Professor Mark Howden. Read more.

Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner

In this episode of “Catching the last wave”, we are honored to talk to a Pacific climate change expert and regional and global climate change advocate Ms. Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner. Kathy is a Marshall Islander poet, performance artist, educator. She received international acclaim through her poetry performance at the opening of the United Nations Climate Summit in New York in 2014. Read more.

James Bhagwan

In this episode of “Catching the last wave”, we are honored to host the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) Reverend James Bhagwan. PCC is the region's peak ecumenical body with 33 member churches and 10 national councils of churches across 19 Pacific Island States and territories – accounting for some 80 percent of the Pacific’s human population. Read more.

Bikenibeu Paeniu

Our guest for this episode of "Catching the last wave" is Honorable Bikenibeu Paeniu, former Prime Minister of Tuvalu and currently a consultant for the Tuvalu Climate Action Network (TuCAN) and technical advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture. Read more.

Gladys Habu

Our guest for this episode of "Catching the last wave" is Gladys Habu, a passionate young climate advocate from the Solomon Islands. Gladys has campaigned for years at the local, regional and international levels to increase awareness of the impact of climate change. Read more.

Mahendra Kumar

Our guest for this episode of "Catching the last wave" is Dr. Mahendra Kumar, a senior climate change specialist with wide experience in climate change, development, energy and environment programs in Asia-Pacific and Africa. Read more.

Seve Paeniu

Our guest for this episode of "Catching the last wave" is Hon. Seve Paeniu, Tuvalu's Minister of Finance. Hon. Seve started his career as Assistant Planning Officer with Tuvalu's Ministry of Finance in 1988 and became the Ministry's Director of Planning in 1989. Read more.

Broderick Menke

Our guest for this episode of "Catching the last wave" is Mr. Broderick Menke, National Adaptation Plan Coordinator for RMI. His role at COP26 was to present the RMI NAP process and introduce new ways of sustainable adaptation planning, while following the adaptation tracks during the Glasgow negotiations. Read more.

Janani Vivekananda

Janani Vivekananda is Head of Programme Climate Diplomacy and Security at Adelphi, where she specializes in climate change and peacebuilding. As a peacebuilding practitioner with a background in peace and disaster risk reduction field research and operations, the aim of her work is to connect ground realities with policy processes and vice versa to promote the linked goals of peace and climate action. Read more.

Ken Kassem

Ken Kassem is the acting interim Regional Programme Coordinator for IUCN Oceania. Ken is a half Egyptian and half American passionate conservationist who has worked for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for three years as Strategic Partnerships Officer. Read more.

Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change

In this episode of Catching the last wave, we are honoured to hear from Caleb Pollard and Belyndar Rikimani, respectively the President and Vice President of the youth-led organization Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC). Read more.

Volker Boege

Dr. Volker Boege is Toda Peace Institute’s Senior Research Fellow for Climate Change and Conflict. He has worked extensively in the areas of peacebuilding and resilience in the Pacific region and he is also a Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Institute in Australia. Read more.

Steven Ratuva

In this episode, we will explore Prof. Ratuva's perspective on climate security and its implications for the Pacific region, including how the climate crisis is creating and fueling conflicts and which actions can be undertaken to address it at the local level. Read more.

Anote Tong

In this episode, we'll have the chance to hear from a guest who needs no introduction: Mr. Anote Tong, a world-renowned leader in the battle against climate change. Mr. Tong served as President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016. Since leaving office, he has continued to speak about the realities of climate change, including the urgency of the issues, the complexity of the causes, as well as possible solutions. Read more.

Our guest for this episode of Catching the last wave is Mia Kami, Tongan singer, and songwriter currently teaching at the Tupou College Toloa in Tonga. Mia is passionate about gender equality, indigenous sovereignty, climate change, and the Pacific region. She attended the University of the South Pacific (USP), where she majored in Law and Politics.

Our guest for this episode of Catching the last wave is Sainimili Tawake, who works as inclusive development advisor for the Pacific Disability Forum. The Forum is a constituency of 71 organizations of and for persons with disabilities spread across 22 Pacific Island countries and territories.

Our guest for this episode of Catching the last wave is Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls, a well-renown Pacific Island feminist working on the nexus between peace, development, and climate change. Sharon is the Pacific Regional Representative of Shifting the Power Coalition, an alliance of 14 diverse Pacific women-led organizations which works to create feminist solutions for climate justice.

Our guest for this episode of Catching the last wave is Paulo Baleinakorodawa, a peace practitioner and educator who has worked in peacebuilding for more than 20 years in Fiji, the Pacific region, and internationally. He is currently Transcend Oceania Programs Director, and his role includes program designs, implementation and monitoring, evaluation and learning for the organization.