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“God and Tonga Are My Inheritance!”—Climate Change Impact on Perceived Spritiuality, Adaptation and Lessons Learnt from Kanokupolu, ‘Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua and Manuka in Tongatapu, Tonga

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Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Coastal Communities

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

Climate change is a significant threat to health and well-being, in particular to people’s spiritual well-being, in coastal areas and communities. This paper describes the findings of a 2013 study on impacts of climate change on people’s spiritual well-being in 5 coastal communities in Tongatapu, Tonga: Kanokupolu, ‘Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua and Manuka, using a concurrent convergence parallel triangulation design. Information was collected from a group of 460 participants aged 15–75 via self-administered questionnaire, in-depth interview (IDI), focus group discussions (FGD) and key information interviews (KII). There was a statistically significant difference between people whose spirituality was affected and those unaffected (p < 0.005). People who were worried and whose physical well-being were affected, emerged as the most strongly affected (χ2(4) = 15.780, p < 0.005). The same factor was explored qualitatively using thematic analytical strategy, and concluded that climate change had affected people’s spiritual well-being, negatively. Lessons learnt from this paper will be useful for people invested in policy practice, and pastorate serving the cause of holistic Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in Tonga: preaching, fasting and praying to God to reverse climate change and its impacts, help State and Church to adapt more effectively and comprehensively.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the people of Kanokupolu, ‘Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua and Manuka. Also, we want to acknowledge PaCE-SD (Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development) for supervising this project and the Research Office at USP (University of the South Pacific), for providing financial assistance for this work under its Ph.D. Regional Scholarship Fund, No. 6F004-3107-70766-00. The study was approved by PaCE-SD and funded by the Research Office at USP. Finally, we want to thank the EU PacTVET Project for funding Peni’s trip to Apia, Samoa to present this paper in this World Symposium on Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Strategies in Coastal Communities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PaCE-SD, Lower Campus, Laucala, USP, Suva, Fiji

    Peni Hausia Havea & Helene Jacot Des Combes

  2. SPC, 2nd Floor Lotus Bldg, Nabua, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji

    Sarah L. Hemstock

  3. School of Social Science, Christian Heritage College, 322 Wecker Rd, Carindale, QLD, 4152, Australia

    Johannes Luetz

Authors
  1. Peni Hausia Havea
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  2. Sarah L. Hemstock
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  3. Helene Jacot Des Combes
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  4. Johannes Luetz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peni Hausia Havea .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life Science, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

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Havea, P.H., Hemstock, S.L., Combes, H.J.D., Luetz, J. (2018). “God and Tonga Are My Inheritance!”—Climate Change Impact on Perceived Spritiuality, Adaptation and Lessons Learnt from Kanokupolu, ‘Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua and Manuka in Tongatapu, Tonga. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Coastal Communities. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70703-7_9

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