As a result of previous studies carried out through the support of UNEP to the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) Regional Seas programme in the Pacific, a number
of island States have been perceived as being under immediate threat of major environmental change should greenhouse-forced climatic warming and consequent sea level rise occur.
A report produced for the Association of South Pacific Environmental Institutions (ASPEI) to the government of Kiribati and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme|2 copies|Also available online
Samoa is party to a number of international and regional treaties and conventions, including several with energy implications, particularly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. Environmental issues related to energy use include air pollution from incineration of rubbish and cooking in outside kitchens. About 70% of Samoa's population and infrastructure are located in the environmentally vulnerable coastal zone. Only four of the coastline is resilient to coastal hazards.
The Environment can be considered tropical marine. Atolls are especially vulnerable to environmental damage. The water supply is easily damaged by pollutants. Land biodiversity is low. The primary dangers to the environment are tropical storms, oil spills and waste disposal from the settlements. Direct hits by cyclones are not common though near passages have caused serious damage due to high waves.
Available online|This report is based on data gathered by a PIREP team consisting of Tomas Tafia and Herbert Wade
Call Number: 333.794159615 WAD [EL]
Tonga has a small open economy with squash, coconuts and vanilla the main export crops that make up two thirds of total exports. A high proportion of food is imported, mainly from New Zealand. Remittances are important to the economy, as is tourism. Private sector development is emphasized in its Strategic Development Plan and there is a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. Fisheries and tourism are considered as having the most potential for further economic growth.
Environment The Solomon Islands is part to various treaties and conventions related to environmental protection, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. A communication to UNFCCC, including greenhouse gas emissions and vulnerability to climate change, is expected to be submitted during 2004.
Available online|This report is based on data gathered by a PIREP team consisting of John Korinihone, Morgan Wairiu, John Vos and Peter Johnston
Call Number: 333.79415953 JOH (EL)
PNG has two distinct economies: i) a modem, cash economy dominated by mining, timber, gas and oil. and agricultural expoits (coffee, cocoa, tea. oil palm and copra): and ii) the traditional subsistence economy and semi-subsistence fanning, with most villages producing little or no surplus for trading. Economic growth has varied considerably but averaged less than 3% annually in real terms since independence in 1975. with per capita income less in 2002 than at Independence. The government expects real growth to average 2.1% from 2003-2008.
Palau lias an equatorial, marine environment. No cyclones have been recorded though near passages are not unusual when high waves can be a problem. Palau has a strong program for preserving the environment, particularly that of the major tourist attractions including the Rock Islands and the reefs where some of the best diving in the world is found. Marine biodiversity is high and land biodiversity moderate. Strict USA
Environmental issues have a high priority. The people of Nine have taken positive action to maintain the environment for future generations. The low population density has allowed large areas of the island's interior to remain as natural forests and this natural state has become a tourist attraction along with the exotic coral formations, caves and other natural attractions of the island. In general water quality and air quality are very good. Periods of drought occur that can cause loss of crops and hardship for residents.
The climate is equatorial marine in nature. There are 110 cyclones though rainfall is cyclic and periodic droughts are a serious problem with one year having a recorded rainfall of only 280 nun. The land biodiversity is limited with only
The Republic of the Marshall Islands consists of two groups of atolls and islands: Ralik in the west and Ratak to the east, within a rectangle extending 1150 km north-south and 1300 km east- west. about 3200 kilometers from Honolulu and Tokyo. Twenty-two of 29 atolls, and four of the five small raised coral islands are inhabited. The islands are typically several km long and rarely over 200 meters in width.
The guide is a tool to understanding Pacific communities' vulnerability to climate change, variability and sea level change; and to determining what action needs to be carried out in order to adapt to these changes. In the CV&A process, the focus of data collection is the community that constitutes elders, men, women, youths and children. Their experience in relation to climate variability, change over time, and extreme events become very important. The assessment focuses on current
Atmosphere and Climate Physical Climate Cook Islands consists of data on local knowledge on climate variability, energy in Cook Islands and Review of mainstreaming of climate change into national plans and policies in Cook Islands
As noted in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, climate change is one of the most important drivers of biodiversity loss" and is projected to further adversely affect the role of
biodiversity as a source of goods and services. The impacts of climate change on biodiversity have been of major concern to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 2002 when, following a request from the Conference of the Parties and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group was established to carry
One of the recommendations emerging from the COP-8 (Decision XIII/8 [6]) promoted a series of regional and/or sub-regional workshops on capacity building for NBSAPs. These will
be held with the aim to discuss national experiences in implementing NBSAPs, the integration of biodiversity concerns into relevant sectors, obstacles, and ways and means
for overcoming these obstacles. It was recommended that these workshops be held (subject to the availability of funding) prior to COP-9, to provide an opportunity to directly support
The Pacific region has benefited from a number of regional and national programmes to both assess the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and develop programmes to adapt to climate change. Such programmes are critical considering that the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1/ states that the Pacific region has already experienced temperature increases of as much as 1°C since 1910.
Climate change is a major threat to global biodiversity. From the tropics to the Poles, the worlds ecosystems are all under pressure. A study published in the scientific journal Nature posited that 15 to 37% of terrestrial animal and plant species could be at risk of extinction because of human-induced impacts on climate (Thomas et al., 2004). Scattered across the four corners of the Earth, European Union overseas entities, are home to a biological diversity that is as rich as it is vulnerable.
On 20 November 2006 the Biological Diversity Advisory Committee (BDAC), whose role it was to advise the then Australian Government Minister for the Environment and Heritage, held a one day workshop in Canberra on climate change and invasive species impacts on biodiversity. Eight talks were given, followed by a session of free discussion. Most attendees were experts from government departments, universities, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and cooperative research centres (CRCs).
Island conservation programs have been spectacularly successful over the past five decades, yet they generally do not account for impacts of climate change. Here, we argue that the full spectrum of climate change, especially Island conservation programs have been spectacularly successful over the past five decades, yet they generally do not account for impacts of climate change. Here, we argue that the full spectrum of climate change, especially sea-level rise and loss of suitable climatic conditions, should be rapidly integrated into island biodiversity research and management.
Climate change is expected to cause extinctions when native plants and animals are prevented from migrating out of their hotter or drier habitats to more suitable climates. But for many species a more
Scientists have advocated for local interventions, such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fishery restrictions, as ways to mitigate local stressors to limit the effects of climate change on reef-building corals
Available online.
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 30 p