Abstract:
The Pacific region is often framed as vulnerable in climate change literature. The hegemony of this discourse means that the Pacific Islands have come to be the ‘poster child’ for climate change and its impacts in academia, media and political forums. A recent body of academic literature has argued that these narratives work to create an ‘other’ that subordinates Pacific countries as inferior to western countries, and fails to recognise the diverse and legitimate experiences of Pacific peoples and their nations. This thesis uses critical discourse analysis to analyse the voices of key Pacific actors who are engaging with and resisting these narratives: the Fiji government and 350 Pacific. I argue that each actor employs vulnerability discourses to invoke a sense of urgency in others to act on climate change. Both the Fiji government and 350 Pacific challenge the notion that the Pacific region is inherently vulnerable to climate change. They each highlight the resilience of Pacific people and nations in the face of climate change. I argue that climate change literature that simply critiques vulnerability narratives needs to engage with the voices of those who are being framed as vulnerable and explore how they understand and use the discourse.