EXILE BY ANOTHER NAME

FOUR YEARS AGO, IOANE TEITIOTA BARELY KNEW WHAT GLOBAL WARMING WAS. TODAY, THE MIGRANT FARMER FROM THE TINY ISLAND NATION OF KIRIBATI IS A TEST CASE FOR DETERMINING WHETHER MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, PUSHED FROM THEIR HOMES BY CLIMATE CHANGE, WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED—OR FORGOTTEN.

KENNETH R. WEISS

A COLD NEW ZEALAND rain pelted the broad, weathered face of the man from the tropical Pacific. He squinted up at the gathering storm before refocusing his attention on crates of freshly picked Chinese cabbages, carefully adjusting and wrapping them to make sure they would arrive at market in perfect condition. Over the years, such attention to detail and dependability have elevated him from field hand to foreman of a vegetable farm on the outskirts of Auckland. Typically, Ioane Teitiota (pronounced Tess-ee-yo-tah) reports to work every day, for eight-hour shifts or longer, though he takes an occasional Sunday off. “Some people say it’s hard work,” he said. “I say it’s good for me and my family.” Teitiota was born on Tabiteuea atoll, one of the 33 tiny islands scattered across a…

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Foreign Policy (Digital) - 1 Issue, January - February 2015

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