Celebrating Bislama Week with MP Ralph Regenvanu

To celebrate Aotearoa Bislama Language Week in 2026, Valorie Patrick (host of Yumi Talem radio show on Fresh FM) interviewed Ralph Regenvanu, MP for Port Vila and Minister for Climate Change, Energy, Meteorology, Geohazards, Environment and Disaster Management. Key points discussed in the interview are summarised below.

Climate Change is Real and is Affecting Vanuatu Now

Climate change is a real issue currently affecting Vanuatu in many different ways, such as:

·         Category 5 cyclones used to be uncommon but are now very common

·         Rain is heavier now, causing flooding in areas that previously did not flood

·         Reefs are dying and will not recover so people need to go further out to sea to fish

·         Dry/wet weather seasons are no longer clear cut like they were previously so planning around the seasons becomes more difficult

·         Sea level rises are causing higher salt levels in water wells near the ocean and are forcing people to relocate their houses further inland

Vanuatu is Leading the Way Internationally

The Paris Agreement (2015) which is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a global treaty which was designed to commit countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regularly update their climate action plans.

The Republic of Vanuatu led a coalition of 132 nations asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for clarity on how existing international laws can be applied to make the Paris Agreement legally binding.

In July 2025, the ICJ issued a unanimous advisory opinion which stated that nations can be held legally accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions.

The reason this is important to Vanuatu is that Vanuatu only contributes 0.001% to greenhouse gas emissions but is disproportionately affected by climate change so it needs other nations to take responsibility for their greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more about the ICJ ruling here

What is the Vanuatu Government doing to Mitigate Climate Change ?

There are a number of projects underway that are helping to increase resilience in Vanuatu communities and reduce the impacts of climate change, such as :

·         Infrastructure projects such as building roads, bridges, schools, health centres, water supply systems and solar grids that can withstand adverse weather events

·         Renewable energy projects which reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as the hydro dam in Espiritu Santo

·         Community resilience projects such as setting up climate disaster committees in every community. These committees will warn communities of natural disasters and build resilience at the local level

·         Strengthening area councils by building stronger buildings with satellite communications such as Starlink and training staff to assess damage so they do not need to rely on resources from Port Vila

·         Ensuring good access to water supplies

Every single government project now has a climate change component to ensure that climate change is being addressed in every sector in every region.

How can Vanuatu Diaspora living in Aotearoa Contribute ?

The Ni-Vanuatu diaspora in Aotearoa can play an important role by supporting communities back home to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Whether through sharing knowledge, skills, resources, or investing in sustainable initiatives, the diaspora can be part of the solution. It's important that our contributions help strengthens communities and protect our environment, rather than unintentionally creating more climate-related challenges.

To listen to the full interview with Ralph Regenvanu in Bislama, click here