Toronto-based digital broadcast journalist Megan King published a three-part video series and companion digital story for Global News exploring the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels on Oceania — more specifically on Fiji — and Canada’s involvement.
King spent weeks exploring the many islands of Fiji and travelling by ferry and bus to dozens of villages to hear local accounts of storm impacts on the livelihoods and safety of Fijians. Rising sea levels is not new to the islands, so many initiatives are in the works towards climate preparedness — something Canada can learn from.
“Having spent the last two years living on Canada’s East Coast, I’ve seen the impact that storms can have on people’s homes and safety here,” says King. “Natural disasters are becoming more extreme and taking form more often, so we can learn a lot from those who’ve faced these changes for longer.”
King happened upon grassroots initiatives in Fiji that were being funded by the Canadian government, showing the ties that already exist between the two countries.
“We can learn a lot from Fiji, but we can also help a lot,” says King. “This is a country that is among the most affected by climate change, yet least able to afford the consequences that the Western world is largely at fault for.”
The Gordon Sinclair Foundation awarded the Roving Reporter Bursary to King with the intent of her going to Kiribati. Amid political tension and a presidential election, King was forced to redirect her project to Fiji, which faces similar climate challenges.
King is an on-air reporter and anchor at Global News in Toronto.
Applicants to the Gordon Sinclair Roving Reporter Bursary were invited to submit a proposal to travel abroad or to a region of Canada that is not usually well covered by the media and to research and then prepare a substantial body of journalistic work on an important issue.