Rainbows of Comfort in Rising Seas: How Literalist Bible Interpretations Impact Climate Change Communication in the Marshall Islands

Abstract

The Marshall Islands is beginning to feel the impacts of climate change. Its geography and low-lying landscape has put it at a disadvantage to fight the coming seas. National leadership and environmental groups continue to provide locals with communications about the challenges to come. While climate change is a concept of science, there may be local barriers to its public internalization. This study seeks to determine if there is a relationship between fundamentalist Christian views, climate change communication, and Marshallese perceptions of global environmental change. The Marshall Islands has a deeply religious population, the majority of which are fundamentalist Christians. A mixed methods survey is employed to assess the impact the belief in biblical literalism, the Noahic Covenant, and Apocalyptic Narratives exert over Marshallese views of environmental change. Results demonstrate that non elite Marshallese inhabitants do not see climate change as an existential threat, but rather as a sign that of the end times and the Second Coming of Christ. This has significant implications for human security and migration outcomes if current climate communication methods are ineffective with respect to urgency. If locals see climate impacts through a religious lens, climate change communication must incorporate Biblical concepts and address contextual understandings.