Refugee crisis brewing in Pacific

There is a refugee crisis brewing in an island nation that covers a patch of the Pacific Ocean the size of Western Europe and absolutely no one is reporting on it.

My name is Justin Nobel and I write about science and culture for U.S. and Canadian magazines and newspapers (www.justinnobel.com). I am planning an extended reporting trip to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a U.S. protectorate east of the Philippines and north of Papua New Guinea, where rising seas are decimating crops and sullying groundwater, forcing unique cultures to consider the abandonment of their island homelands. I am contacting you because I aim to create a much wider impact with my work, and believe Frontlines Forum can help. Given that my background may be a bit different than your typical grantee, I am wondering exactly the best way to apply for Frontlines' funding. Please read on..

I have been profiled by the New York Times for my visionary multimedia projects (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/nyregion/25document.html?scp=2&sq=just...) and my award-winning photography of the Inuit of Nunavik and their changing culture and landscape has appeared in newspapers across North America (http://picasaweb.google.com/justinnobel/Nunavik#).

In FSM, people on low-lying outer islands are migrating to higher islands, but are not always welcome. A caste system that dates back centuries refuses these migrants the right to own land. They huddle in hastily built communities, more or less like refugee camps, one anthropologist with three decades experience in the region recently told me.

The outer islands of the FSM states of Yap and Chuuk are literally some of the most remote spots on earth, and their cultures are some of the most unique. Transport to these islands can take months, and once there, visitors can be stuck for just as long. I am going so I can bring these peoples important stories to the world.

Thanks so much for your time and attention, I look forward to hearing back.

-Justin
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Justin Nobel
www.justinnobel.com
http://blogs.funeralwise.com/dying/