The Territory of American Samoa lies roughly 14 degrees south of the equator between longitude 169 and 173 west and about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. The principal islands are Tutuila, Aunu'u, and the Manu'a islands (a cluster of three islands, Ta'u, Ofu and Olosega, located about 65 miles east of Tutuila). Swains Island, a small island with a population of less than 25 and Rose Atoll, an uninhabited atoll about 120 miles east of Tutuila make up the remainder of the territory.
The Africa Environment Information Network (AEIN) is a multi-stakeholder capacity building process that aims to harness and enhance access to information and knowledge to support the management of Africas environmental resources as assets for sustainable development. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of African countries to use good quality information on environmental assets to make informed investment choices at subnational and national levels, and manage these assets on a sustainable basis.
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Call Number: [EL]
According to World Travel & Tourism Council research, Travel & Tourism Economy GDP totalled some US$ 5,800 billion in 2008, or close to 10% of total global GDP, and accounted for over 230 million jobs worldwide.
Over the last few years, thanks to international scientific evidence, there has been increasing recognition of the threat of climate change caused by a dramatic increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations.
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Physical Description: 36 p.
Scientists state unequivocally that the earth is warming. Climate change is happening, it is caused in large part by human activity, and it will have many serious and potentially damaging effects in the decades ahead. Greenhouse gas emissions from cars, power plants, and other human activitiesrather than natural variations in climateare the primary cause of contemporary global warming. Due largely to the combustion of fossil fuels, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas, are at a level unequaled for at least 800,000 years.
There is growing evidence that seagrasses are experiencing declines globally due to anthropogenic threats (Short and Wyllie Echeverria 1996, Duarte 2002, Orth et al. 2006). Runoff of nutrients and sediments that affect water quality is the greatest anthropogenic threat to seagrass meadows, although other stressors include aquaculture, pollution, boating, construction, dredging and landfill activities, and destructive fishing practices. Natural disturbances such as storms and floods can also cause adverse effects.
This report provides the finding of the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by Pacific Environment Consultants Ltd on behalf of Samoa Ports Authority for the proposed Aleipata Wharf Extension and Slipway. The EIA was conducted over the period of January to April 2008.
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Physical Description: 61 p.
Coral reefs are one of the Earths most complex and diverse ecosystems. Coral reefs have evolved over long periods of geological time in response to certain natural phenomena including tectonic movements, changes in climate and associated changes in sea level. The oldest known coral reef appeared more than 450 million years ago and by 150 million years before present, corals had diversified and spread globally throughout tropical shorelines
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Physical Description: 59 p.
Streams and rivers on islands are considerably different to continental systems in that oceanic island systems are often subject to recurrent flash flooding and many fauna in continental systems are only distantly related to island fauna, rarely having an obligate marine larval phase of their life cycles. Several methods used in surveying continental systems are therefore only of limited applicability in island systems. The field procedures described herein are loosely adapted from those described in Parham, 2005 and Fitzsimons et.
Non-friable, corrugated, compressed asbestos-cement sheeting, derived from the NZ Aid refurbishment and renovations programme of schools and other Government buildings on Rarotonga
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Physical Description: 2 Pages
A team of consultants conducted a review of Pacific Regional Meteorological Services as commissioned by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in November 2009. This was in response to a directive from Pacific Islands Forum Leaders. Over the period November 2009-April 2010, the team reviewed relevant documentation, consulted with SPREP member countries and other organisations, and considered feedback on a draft report before presenting its final report and recommendations.
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Compensation for oil pollution damage caused by spills from oil tankers is governed by an
international regime developed under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The framework for the regime was originally the 1969 International Convention on Civil Liability for
Oil Pollution Damage (1969 Civil Liability Convention) and the 1971 International Convention on
the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (1971 Fund
The success of Tongas current and future development depends on sustainable management
of its natural resources. However, with increasing population, changing socio-economic
aspirations and activities, the quality and quantity of the biophysical environment are
declining. This is likely to be exacerbated if the major environmental issues are not addressed
immediately. Unsustainable practices in agriculture and fishing, and population related
pressures such as waste generated and increasing demand for natural recourses coupled with a
The present submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
('the Commission') is made by the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New
Guinea and the Solomon Islands (hereinafter referred to collectively as the three
coastal States) pursuant to paragraph 8 of Article 76 of the 1982 United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea ('the Convention') in support of the establishment
by the three coastal States of the outer limits of the continental shelf that lie beyond
This chapter outlines some of the links between human security and
climate change in the Pacific Islands. It demonstrates that climate
change poses significant risks to human security in the region. The links
between climate change, human security, and instability and conflict are
also explored. It seems unlikely that climate change will be the principal
cause of violent conflict in the region in the future, but it may increase
the risk of violent conflict in some places. The chapter argues that in
They have been defined as communities that are planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living. They tend to focus on environmental sustainablility (including develoment and agriculture) and economic sustainability. Sustainable communities can focus on sustainable urban infrastructure and/or sustainable municipal infrastructure.
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Physical Description: 37 p.
In February 2005 Campaign Strategy Ltd1 and Cultural Dynamics2 (CDSM
Cultural Dynamics Strategy and Marketing) commissioned a nationally
representative telephone survey of over 1000 adults, who were asked a number
of questions about climate change. Some of those results3 are reported here.
The same sample was asked a large number of other questions about
environmental issues, and their political identity. They were also asked ten
questions about their lives which enable Cultural Dynamics to place them into 12
This paper presents a summary of progress to date made in implementing the Forum Leaders 2008 Niue Declaration on climate change, and proposals for how to further this implementation in light of the 2009 Cairns Call for Action on climate change.
SPREP paper to PCCR 19-21 October 2009
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Physical Description: 20 p.
The Pacific Climate Change Film Festival is
open to all films (animation, documentaries,
music videos, short commentaries, etc.) that
highlight climate change issues within the
Pacific.
Available online
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Physical Description: 2 Pages
In preparation for the upcoming meeting of the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable (PCCR), to be held in Majuro in October, 2009, the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) commissioned a stocktake of the progress made in implementing the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change (PIFACC) in terms of its principles and expected outcomes, with an emphasis on adaptation and the associated enabling environment.
Climate change impacts will affect social and ecological systems in complex and broad-ranging ways as technological, economic, social and ecological changes take place across regions, groups and sectors. Many of these impacts, such as impacts on ecological systems, have cascading effects on social, economic and health outcomes. In order to respond to climate change, more vigorous actions are required to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and to adapt to unavoidable consequences that are increasing vulnerability around the world.
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