Welcoming ceremony for the Greenpeace flagship vessel, the Rainbow Warrior in the Marshall Islands, marking the start of a six-week mission around the Pacific nation to elevate calls for nuclear and climate justice; and support independent scientific research into the impacts of decades-long nuclear weapons testing by the US government. Photo: Bianca Vitale / Greenpeace
The Marshall Islands welcomed the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace's flagship vessel, for a six-week research expedition focused on nuclear radiation.
The vessel's return to the Micronesian nation on Wednesday marks 40 years since Greenpeace crew evacuated over 300 people from the Rongelap atoll to Mejatto island, after toxic nuclear fallout from US nuclear tests rendered their ancestral lands uninhabitable.
The environmental campaign organisation said the Rainbow Warrior will support independent scientific research into the impacts of decades-long nuclear weapons testing by the US government.
The Rainbow Warrior was escorted by traditional canoes, Marshallese singing and dancing, and the ship was given a blessing by the Council of Iroij, the traditional chiefs of the Islands.
New Zealander Bunny McDiarmid, who was one of the crew on the Rainbow Warrior during the 1985 visit to the Marshall Islands, was also on aboard.
"Over the coming weeks, we'll travel around this beautiful country, bearing witness to the impacts of nuclear weapons testing and the climate crisis, and listening to the lived experiences of Marshallese communities fighting for justice," Greenpeace spokesperson Shiva Gounden said.
"For decades, Marshallese communities have been sacrificing their lands, health, and cultures for the greed of those seeking profits and power.
"But at the same time, the Marshallese people have been some of the loudest voices calling for justice, accountability, and ambitious solutions to some of the greatest issues facing the world. "
He added that Greenpeace was proud to stand alongside the Marshallese people in their demands for nuclear justice and reparations, and the fight against colonial exploitation which continues to this day.
The organisation said over the six-week mission, the Rainbow Warrior will travel to Mejatto, Enewetak, Bikini, Rongelap, and Wotje, undertaking much-needed independent radiation research.
"Marshallese culture has endured many hardships over the generations," a climate activist from Jo-Jikum, a youth organisation responding to climate change, Jobod Silk, said.
"Colonial powers have each left their mark on our livelihoods - introducing foreign diseases, influencing our language with unfamiliar syllables, and inducing mass displacement "for the good of mankind.
"Yet, our people continue to show resilience. Liok tut bok: as the roots of the Pandanus bury deep into the soil, so must we be firm in our love for our culture.
"Today's generation now battles a new threat. Once our provider, the ocean now knocks at our doors, and once again, displacement is imminent.
"Our crusade for nuclear justice intertwines with our fight against the tides.
"We were forced to be refugees, and we refuse to be labeled as such again. As the sea rises, so do the youth. The return of the Rainbow Warrior instills hope for the youth in their quest to secure a safe future."
Senior Radiation Protection advisor at Greenpeace International Dr Rianne Teule said as a result of the US government's actions, the Marshallese people have suffered the direct and ongoing effects of nuclear fallout, including on their health, cultures, and lands.
"We hope that our research will support legal proceedings currently underway and the Marshall Islands government's ongoing calls for reparations," Tuele said.
The Rainbow Warrior's arrival in the Marshall Islands on 11 March also marks the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.
