Here's a post and video blog from Georgia, a Greenpeace deckhand from California who is currently working on board our ship, Esperanza, in the Pacific.

I was born and raised in the heartland of the United States of America. I currently reside in San Francisco, California. I joined the Esperanza in June. Currently, we are touring the Pacific Islands; meeting with the communities and governments to both help them find solutions to climate change as well as collect their stories to share with the world to increase the volume of their voices.

The people of the Cook Islands are beautiful. I have never in my life felt so welcome, like a deeply missed relative coming home after being away for a long time. From the moment we stepped foot on each of the islands, members of the communities were there to meet us and shower us with kisses, smiles, and flowers. They shared with us their delicious food and their brilliant songs and dances. From Rarotonga to Nassau, an island populated by only 76 people, I could see in an instant the cultural respect for the earth, an understanding that so many other communities seem to have lost. The tranquility of the people is reflected in the tranquility of their lagoons.

Unfortunately, that tranquility is increasingly threatened by climate change. Due to rising sea levels, increase of poisonous algae, and contaminated water supply, climate change threatens the very ability for these islands and the cultures they contain to exist. This is the dire situation for a group of people who tread so lightly on the earth you can barely see their footprints. Those of us in the countries who continue to emit global warming emissions at tremendous rates, most notably the United States, are responsible for the dire straits of these island states. This is not a matter of politics. It is a matter of right and wrong. The United States is holding a closed fire hose and watching our neighbour’s house burn from a fire that we fuelled. We need only to turn the hose on and put out the fire before it is too late.

In this video, Teava - from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, talks about the changes he is noticing to his island due to global warming.

The water around the islands looks like floating glass, clear straight to the bottom where you can see the glowing edges of the coral. The beaches are scattered with smooth black volcanic rock amidst the bright white sand. It is breathtaking. For many of these islands, rising sea levels mean more than the loss of their coasts; it means the loss of their island and their culture. We are working to make sure world leaders commit to take strong action on climate change when they meet in Copenhagen in December and that the people of the Pacific Islands are heard.

The people of the Cook Islands want only to preserve their island and their way of life. A way of life that is more peaceful than any I have witnessed. The consequences of America’s inaction on climate change are devastating. It is more than the responsibility, it is the obligation of the US government to help lead the way to real, immediate solutions to climate change that don’t include dirty sources of energy like coal and nuclear. President Obama promised the people of the United States and world, change and hope. The time is far past due for the United States to do the right thing and take a strong stance on climate change.

Georgia Faye Hirsty