“Io, keimami leqataka vakalevu na vei gauna mai muri” (“We are worried about the future generation”): Experiences of eco-grief in rural indigenous Fijians

The impacts of climate change are particularly strong in Pacific Small Island Developing States. However, empirical data on mental health and well-being in the context of climate change and climate anxiety in the region remains limited. The aim of this research was to understand the emotional experiences of climate change and its impact on well-being in rural Fiji. Seventy-one Indigenous and traditional Fijian adults from seven rural villages were interviewed. Data were analyzed using an inductive latent thematic analysis. Evident was the experience of ecological grief among Indigenous and traditional Fijians. In particular, grief experiences were related to losses of species and resources, which impacted ways of life and led to the loss of culture, traditions, and customs. Anticipatory grief was also evident, relating to the loss of lifestyle for future generations, and the loss of traditional and ancestral homes through potential migration. Results provide new data from the Global South and contribute to the limited exploration of mental health in relation to climate change in the Pacific region. The results highlight the experience of ecological grief among Pacific Islanders, and underscore the significance of culture loss due to climate change and anticipatory grief. Significant changes in the environment have been observed by all rural Fijians irrespective of whether they lived in coastal, coastal hinterland, or river delta regions. These changes contributed to both immediate worries related to loss of species, ways of life and, consequently, meaningful cultural practices, as well as feelings of anticipatory loss related to concern for future generations and potential migration. In a number of ways, the experiences of eco-grief in rural Indigenous Fijians are similar to those found in the Circumpolar North, providing a new perspective from the Global South and underscoring the critical importance of culture loss in the experience of eco-grief.