#environmentalrefugee

Andrew Lackland

@Regrann from @msnbcphoto - Throughout the years the Marshallese have maintained a cultural identity structured much like a village. There are no hard lines separating extended versus nuclear families. Instead, there’s a strong sense of sodality. “What’s mine is yours.” Explains Marshallese native Melisa Laelan, now a U.S. citizen. “We still have that dignity for our culture,” she added. “We want to preserve all of those values that we have and not forget about where we come from.” As tides continue to rise around the globe, some younger Marshallese Americans are treating what’s happening to their homeland with a sense of urgency. They want to ensure that the Marshall Islands will still exist for future generations. But awareness and education on the harmful effects of climate change are still lacking. Many islanders who are fending off floods back home don’t always link the destruction to climate change. Some elders are determined to simply stick it out. “Hell and High Water” is the latest chapter in our special report on the world’s migrant crisis made in partnership with @magnumphotos. Photographer @michaelchristopherbrown takes us to the island nation that stands to suffer the greatest and most immediate consequences of climate change. To see this special report in its entirety please visit www.msnbc.com/MigrantCrisis (follow link in profile) #RefugeeCrisis #MigrantCrisis #migrants #migration #refugee #MarshallIslands #ClimateChangeRefugees #GlobalWarming #EnvironmentalRefugee #environment #PacificOcean #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #MagnumPhotos @msnbcphoto - #regrann