Climate concerns grow among Mariana Islands locals as US military expands in region

Photo: (US Navy: Stacy Laseter). Retrieved from abc.net.au

The Mariana Islands have been under foreign occupation for centuries, and while they’re now a self-governing commonwealth, locals are becoming increasingly concerned about the US military’s presence in the region and its impact on the local environment.

In the past 200 years, control of the Northern Mariana Islands has shifted from Spain to Germany to Japan to the United States. Now, residents have US citizenship and are entitled to free movement around the states — a potential lifeline if climate change continues to wreak havoc on the islands.

Former Northern Mariana Islands House Representative Sheila Babauta is vocal about the climate crisis, having chaired the Natural Resources Committee. She said extreme weather was occurring at an increased frequency and sea levels were rising.

Ms Babauta told Climate Mana one does not have to look far to see the devastation caused by climate change in Saipen, Guam and the rest of the Mariana Islands.

“It looks like disappearing shorelines. We can literally see concrete structures disappear because of the rising sea levels,” she said.