Outrage + Optimism: The Climate Podcast29 Touko 2025

Sovereignty and Survival: A Spotlight on Vanuatu

How far would you go to protect your home?

In this week’s special episode, Christiana Figueres brings us a deeply personal and political dispatch from Vanuatu - a country on the frontlines of the climate crisis and at the heart of one of the most significant climate justice initiatives of our time.

In conversations with voices from government (Minister Ralph Regenvanu), climate diplomacy (Christopher Bartlett), youth leadership and advocacy (Litiana Kalsrap), and the arts (Jean-Pascal Wahe), Christiana explores the legacy of colonisation, the meaning of land and sovereignty, and the moral power of a nation that is doing everything it can to protect its people and its planet.

Alongside Paul Dickinson, she also considers Vanuatu’s history as a climate leader and the decades-long struggle for loss and damage. Plus, they begin to unpack the landmark ICJ case that Vanuatu has initiated, and which we will be exploring further in future episodes.

How is this island nation persevering in the face of rising seas and extreme weather? And what does the world owe to those who have done the least to cause our current crisis?

This episode features songs recorded by Christiana in the village of Imaki, on Tanna island, and additional wildlife recordings from Vanuatu by Dominik M. Ramík.

Learn more

🍠 Jean-Pascal Wahe telling Christiana what it means to be ‘chief of the yam’

⚖️ Information about the ICJ climate case on the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change website

🎤 Leave us your voice notes and questions for upcoming episodes on SpeakPipe

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Or get in touch with us via this form.

Producer: Ben Weaver-Hincks

Video Producer: Caitlin Hanrahan

Exec Producer: Ellie Clifford

Commissioning Editor: Sarah Thomas

This is a Persephonica production for Global Optimism and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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