"Two Degrees" Too Much
by Bokean-Jeanette Reimers
May 2022
Hello, my name is Bokean-Jeanette Reimers. I am a 17 year old girl who was born and raised on Kwajalein, a tiny island in the Marshall Islands. I’ve witnessed the horrific changes of my island over the past years. I’m no longer the oblivious little girl anymore. I’ve grown up, and with growing up I became mature, and with maturity comes harsh realities. Well, my reality is my island is changing due to the rising sea levels and climate change. Homes in my nation are crashing with the waves and cemeteries are drowning. However the land and the people aren’t the only ones affected, the creatures and the foundations in the ocean are also. I see changes in the ocean each time I look out. There’s less wildlife and vibrant colors within the ocean. There’s less of everything. My islands are fading.
I read a poetry collection written by a Marshallese woman herself, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner. The title of her collection is “Iep Jaltok. Poems From a Marshallese Daughter.” Kathy writes about tragedies of the islands and its people. One poem out of her collection called ‘Two Degrees’ compares the science of the rising sea levels to her own experience with it. In this poem she makes a statement saying, “What a difference a few degrees can make.” I’ve seen my island get smaller and smaller, but don’t see enough innovation to decrease the situation.
I’ve found Data from NASA showing that from the year 1993 to the day I was born, February 2nd, 2005, the sea level had risen 40.5 millimeters, but now today the sea levels have risen 101.2 millimeters. Each year the sea levels are rising 3.4 millimeters. We, the people in the Marshall Islands, aren’t willing to see the sea levels rise above 1.5 meters.
#1.5tostayalive, our motto regarding saving our islands from the rising sea levels. In the poem Kathy states that with 2 degrees of rising sea levels our islands will already be under water. 2 degrees is too much, so we thrive for 1.5 degrees. We need our islands to thrive for the sake of our homes, culture, family, and legacy, so Kathy had written this poem “Two Degrees” to be an inspiration for those who are old enough to understand science and face the harsh realities. She’s asking us to fight, and I’m ready.