The World in Walande, Daily Brief March 17, 2025

“We look for higher ground—again.”

With these words, one member of the Indigenous community of Walande in Solomon Islands summed up their experience of recent years. Rising sea levels due to climate change have displaced them once already. And they’re still not safe.

The community of about 800 people used to live on a small island just off the coast. They would be hit by occasional storms, even cyclones, but the people of Walande were able to repair their houses and adapt in place.

Things really started to change in 2009, with devastating “king” tides – waves and water levels higher than anyone could remember. A powerful new HRW video tracks the destruction: properties destroyed, houses washed away over the course of just a few years.

By the mid-2010s, the community had relocated to a small area on the mainland that was given to their ancestors. Their island simply doesn’t exist anymore.

Theirs was a community-led relocation. They didn’t get much assistance from the Solomon Islands’ government. 

As one community member put it, the “government supported the community by providing ten cartons of nails to build a house. Yeah...”

Of course, when, as a last resort, people on the frontlines of climate change have to make a planned move like this, the community should be front and center in all the decision-making. That doesn’t mean they should be left alone, however.

The Solomon Islands’ government has obligations under international law to protect communities from foreseeable climate risks. It needs to help people adapt to the risks in ways that respect their rights.

To be fair, the Solomon Islands’ government has been getting more engaged on this issue generally. It launched national Planned Relocation Guidelines in 2022. It was a positive step, though the guidelines can’t be implemented yet without further details – Standard Operating Procedures – that are still under development.

The wider world also has a role to play. Under international climate and human rights law, “developed” nations have obligations to support climate adaptation in the least-developed countries, like Solomon Islands. A few countries have begun supporting community-led adaptation efforts, including Australia, which supported preparation of Walande’s new site.

But international donors should rapidly scale up financial and technical assistance.

There are countless other Walandes around the globe. The need for planned relocations is only going to increase.

Are governments ready to respond? And will they respond in ways that respect people’s rights?

Walande’s story itself is far from over. Seawater is breaching protective seawalls at the new site. The community’s traditional food sources are under threat: gardens are getting washed away, and fish are harder to find.

What’s next for Walande is what’s next for a lot of the world.