Local Woman by Sea Wall on Tarawa Island

Penelise Alofa standing next to the sea wall with waves in the community Temwaiku-Tenei, on Tarawa Island, where the rising ocean is encroaching on their community. Kiribati, is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean in risk of disappearing because of sea level rise caused by melting sea ice and ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The rising sea levels also contaminates their drinking wells with salt water. Penelise has been working on climate change issues for the almost ten years in Kiribati as the National Coordinator of the Kiribati Climate Action Network. Penelise has visited many Kiribati islands to document the impacts of rising sea-levels on Kiribati communities, such as salt water intrusion into drinking water and the soil.