Paper short abstract:

How do Ni-Vanuatu individuals working in climate adaptation mediate between foreign and local understandings of climate change as a socio-political issue? Which concepts resonate with audiences or are transformed through the process of mediation, and what impact does this have upon the individuals?

Paper long abstract:

This research recognises climate change not just as an environmental phenomenon but as a potent vehicle for social change, that is already shaping government priorities, development agendas and community level initiatives across Melanesia. Based on ethnographic research conducted with Ni-Vanuatu individuals engaged in climate discourse and climate adaptation practice - through their roles in the government, NGOs or church institutions - I explore how they mediate conflicting understandings of climate change as a scientific and socio-political issue.

I trace the acceptance or rejection of foreign concepts and practices by these translators and their audiences. I explore the role of anger and antagonism in responses to climate injustice, the allocation of responsibility and blame, belief in the anthropogenic nature and existence of climate change as a phenomenon, and the place of local knowledge in adapting to it. This process of mediation does not just lead to acceptance of external ideas by some, but a transformation of the concepts themselves. As foreign and local understandings are placed in dialogue with each other, climate change can be seen as an opportunity for positive social change, as defined by and for Ni-Vanuatu.