S2E9: Travel writing a disappearing Oceania—w/ J. Maarten Troost

One of the many tragedies of the climate crisis is that the people least responsible will be the first to suffer. Among the regions where this is playing out is in the atoll nations of Oceania,  an area of small islands in the Pacific where it feels ‘more like being on a boat than a continent.’

 

J. Maarten Troost is the travel writer behind such titles as The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Getting Stoned with Savages and Headhunters on My Doorstep. He spent multiple years in Kiribati in the Equatorial Pacific as well as Fiji and Vanuatu. On this episode of the Reversing Climate Change, Maarten joins Ross to explain how he came to spend time in the region of Oceania and offer insight around the provocative titles for his books and the egalitarian nature of island culture. 

 

Maarten goes on to describe how climate change is impacting the area, explaining why these atoll nations will be uninhabitable within 30 years and what the people there are doing to prepare for this inevitability. Listen in to understand why Maarten is pessimistic about our ability to make systemic change before it’s too late and hear his take on the role of the travel writer in the age of climate change.

 

Key Takeaways

 

[1:20] Maarten’s take on the term Oceania

Refers to islands of Pacific, South Pacific More like being on boat than continent

 

[2:05] How Maarten came to travel in the region

Adventurous work as journalist in Prague Mundane job as temp after grad school Girlfriend got work opportunity in Kiribati

 

[6:24] Why Maarten chose provocative titles for his books

Racist overtones in previous books about region Titles designed to mock Victorian mindset

 

[8:51] The egalitarian nature of island culture

Someone asks for something, you give it to them Must work as team to survive

 

[10:28] How climate change is impacting the Pacific

King tides cover entire islands (without storm) Coconut trees near shoreline dead from salination Gardens only work in middle of island now Atoll nations uninhabitable in next 30 years

 

[14:41] The two schools of thought in the region

Some believe God will take care of people Others making plans to migrate to Fiji

 

[17:05] Why adaptation is not an option in Oceania

Atoll = finite space Islands will be gone by 2100 with 4° increase

 

[18:23] Maarten’s take on so-called ‘climate porn’ tourism

Guilty of it himself (travel to Africa to see rhinos in wild) Glaciers, atolls and certain animals will disappear

 

[20:11] Maarten’s pessimism re: our ability to make systemic change

Carbon emissions still on rise despite need for drastic drop Not creating political infrastructure to mitigate climate change

 

[22:03] The connection between human progress and temperature

Human civilization around for 300K years ‘Didn’t do squat’ until 10K years ago when temp stabilized Hasn’t deviated by more than 1° since then

 

[26:08] The role of a travel writer in the age of climate change

Travel as source of personal meaning won’t go away Experience something novel that changes us for better

 

[31:19] What makes a good travel writer

Develop voice that resonates with people Brings out ‘the human’ in any setting

 

[35:32] What Maarten is working on now

Some consulting work Collaborating on TV show

 

[36:59] The tragedy of the loss of islands in Oceania

People among least responsible for climate change Unique culture on each island will disappear

 

[39:01] Maarten’s take on social media

Creates environment of misinformation, conflict Tweeting dumb thought can destroy life in seconds

 

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Resources

 

Books by J. Maarten Troost

Maarten on Facebook

The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific by Paul Theroux

Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia by Christina Thompson

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Paul Gauguin: The Search for Paradise: Letters from Brittany and the South Seas selected and introduced by Bernard Denvir

James Cook

Books by Bill Bryson

Books by Paul Theroux

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace

John Jeremiah Sullivan’s Disneyland Piece

Lands of Lost Borders: A Journey on the Silk Road by Kate Harris

David Sedaris