The Fallen Palm

The Marshall Islands, an archipelago of low-lyingcoral atolls in Micronesia, have never been an easyplace to survive. The future will bring newdifficulties: sea level rise and other effects ofglobal climate change may render the entire countryuninhabitable within the lifetimes of itsinhabitants. This book examines local interpretationsof this doomsday prophecy, weaving into this storyrelated topics such as Marshallese notions of thegood life, narratives of cultural change, attitudestowards Americans and foreign scientists, andperceptions of lingering radiation from nucleartesting. It includes a transcript of the author'sinterview with the President of the Marshall Islandsregarding climate change, as well as an appendixoffering practical advice to activists who wish topromote awareness and adaptation in communitiesvulnerable to climate change. The study is based uponethnographic fieldwork in 2007 including interviewsin the Marshallese language, as well as the author'sexperience as a volunteer teacher in a ruralMarshallese community from 2003 to 2004.... Mehr