With just over a day of negotiations left at the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO), the latest draft strategy does not significantly improve on targets that were branded “not ambitious enough” and “devastating” when they were first proposed on Monday.

Vanuatu’s climate minister Ralph Regenvanu told Climate Home at the time that he and counterparts from other Pacific island nations were “going to fight” to improve targets to reduce emissions on 2008 levels by 20% by 2030 and 70% by 2040.

“That’s what we’re here for, we’re here to lobby”, he said, hours after the talks’ chair drew up the roadmap after listening to governments debate the strategy behind-closed-doors the week before.

No improvement

But a new draft strategy was released this morning which did not substantially improve on those goals. The only increase in ambition was that additional targets to “striv[e]” for 25% by 2030 and 75% by 2040 were made a more definite part of the draft strategy.

The document has yet to be made public so negotiators and campaigners have not commented. But the 2030 and 2040 targets were slammed on Monday with Australia’s negotiator labelling them “not ambitious enough”.

Shipping contributes to around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Identifying loss and damage is tough – we need a pragmatic but science-based approach

The Marshall Islands negotiator Albon Ishoda told journalists that “the science already told us” that “anything less than 36% by 2030 and 96% by 2040 will be detrimental” to limiting global warming to 1.5C and that will “have a devastating impact”.

The targets Ishoda called for have also been supported by the USA and UK and stem from what the Science-Based Targets Initiative judged compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5C.

Six main proposals for new shipping GHG targets on deck @IMOHQ this week… China leading charge against as apparently tougher targets in line with 1.5C would undermine UN #climate talks. Work that one out. pic.twitter.com/2D7fcCbLyd

— Ed King (@edking_I) July 2, 2023

The European Union called for slightly less ambitious figures of 29% and 83% while sources involved in last week’s closed talks, said some countries like China, South Africa and Saudi Arabia didn’t want 2030 or 2040 targets at all.

China’s negotiator argued in open talks on Monday that the targets should be “practical, reasonable and feasible” and their impact should be assessed. He described trade and development, as well as climate, as “existential” issues.

Close to 2050

A debate over whether to target net zero “by” or “by or around” 2050 is set to be resolved with a compromise leaning more towards the weaker option. The new draft proposes targeting net zero “by or around, ie close to 2050, taking into account different national circumstances”.

In their speeches to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) talks this week, the “2050 at the latest” goal was supported mainly by Pacific islands and developed countries.

Developing nations decry risk of UK breaking climate finance pledge

The UK’s negotiator said 2050 should be “the absolute latest” and that the targets should be “in terms that can not be misunderstood”.

On the other hand, several big developing countries like China, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia called for the weaker “around 2050” target and the inclusion of language about “different national circumstances”.

The draft deal contains a target to get “zero or near-zero” fuel sources to represent at least 5% of the energy used by international shipping by 2030, while pledging to “striv[e]” for 10%.

Shipping is currently powered almost completely by fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “low-carbon fuels” represent near to 0% of shipping fuel.

A controversial proposal to put a tax on ships’ emissions is included in the draft document, although that would just mean it is considered in the coming years.

Not a done deal

Although the document is understood to have been agreed by major economies like the US, EU and China, it is not a done deal yet.

Any country can call for a vote on any aspect of the agreement and change it with the support of more than half of the nations.

In the IMO, governments are often unwilling to do this. But Vanuatu’s Regenvanu said on Monday that he and others would think about calling a vote if a “minority group of countries” were going to stop a “high ambition outcome” against the will of an “overwhelming majority, and I mean like two-thirds”.

The document will be debated in talks, which are closed to the media, on Thursday afternoon.  It will then be discussed publicly by governments on Friday when talks are set to end.

The post Governments set to fail to plot shipping industry course for 1.5C appeared first on Climate Home News.

The Pacific Islanders team, comprising Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue and the Cook Islands, competed from 2004-08, although nations represent themselves at World Cups (Wikimedia commons)

By Alex Pashley

Pinpricks in the deep drink of the Pacific, three archipelago nations embark on an odyssey on Friday to clinch the Webb Ellis Cup from rugby union’s goliaths.

Dwarfed by big countries in everything but brawn, cash-strapped Fiji and Samoa seek to improve on three quarter final finishes, with the former kicking off the event against host England that evening.

Tiny Tonga, meanwhile, is vying to advance from the pool stages for the first time.

The outings over the next six weeks shines a light on the mini-developing states, home to about 1.2 million people.

Amid the hoopla of a major sporting event, it perhaps offers a timely platform to highlight their vulnerability to climate change, months before a crunch UN summit to cap global warming.

A stirring new documentary, Pacific Warriors, champions their imprint on the game.

A fifth of the players at the last tournament were either born or descended from the three islands, with this year the number set to be even higher, director James Marquand tells RTCC.

“We set out to make a film that can make the Tier 1 rugby fans gain an insight into what these countries with these amazing players go through to compete,” he says.

The film includes light-hearted stories of Tonga’s banned plan to send its players onto the field with green hair at the 2007 event, an ad for bookmakers Paddy Power; or Samoan squad members sneaking out to buy 50kg of chicken from KFC on the pretence of a trip to the cinema.

Report: Tonga’s King talks climate change with Pope Francis

In spite of minimal resources and little preparation in comparison to wealthier Tier 1 countries – the ‘six nations’ (England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales), plus Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – the countries continue to churn out world-class players famed for their explosive power and deft ball-handling.

Hardy seafarers, the Polynesians have endured life on volcanic islands for millennia which prepared them for the hard-hitting sport.

Export of players to foreign leagues, including America’s NFL have meant a stream of remittances, which aid the agriculture and tourism-based economies.

But aside poverty, the region is acutely threatened by runaway global warming, as storms set to grow fiercer and king tides destroy crops and spoil drinking water.

Report: Kiribati president calls for moratorium on coal mines

Tonga is the second most vulnerable country to natural disasters, according to the 2013 World Risk Report.

“These people live on great mountain tops higher than the Himalayas. Though they are in the middle of the Pacific ocean, and there’s not much left of the peak,” adds Marquand, a former player at Coventry-based Wasps RFC.

Low-lying neighbours Tuvalu and Vanuatu were pummelled by Cyclone Pam in March. Creeping sea levels have forced Kirabati to buy land in Fiji as an insurance policy if the island becomes inhabitable.

The present threat has given such countries an outsized voice at UN-backed climate talks.

But collective slowness to commit to cuts in carbon emissions could submerge some islands all together.

Report: Vanuatu backs plan to sue major carbon polluters for climate damage

A Pacific Islands climate forum in September was overshadowed by mocking comments by Australian environment ministers. Weak pledges by New Zealand to rein in emissions have been classed as “a slap in the face” to such dwellers.

A pledged fund to pay for climate adaptation, such as coastal defences and desalinisation devices, is in development, but is years off providing essential funds.

While after appearing light years apart, developed and developing countries have edged closer to a deal on ‘climate compensation’ at the UN summit in Paris in December.

Fiji, Samoa and Tonga tower, relatively speaking, over the likes of Tuvalu, which peaks at 4m.

Those volcanic islands reach 1,300m above sea level. Yet as climate impacts ramp up over tens of World Cups, will that fan further emigration and hobble their capacity to compete?

That hinges on how countries’ mobilise finance for the climate vulnerable and rein in emissions. But before that, there’s a world tournament to be played.

“Their contribution to the sport I think exceeds any other part of the world. To lose them would be unthinkable, an absoluter disaster,” Marquand adds.

Pacific Warriors is available to download from the Itunes or Amazon online stores now

The post Climate warrior Pacific islands set eyes on Rugby World Cup appeared first on Climate Home News.

Tony Abbott, Australia’s prime minister (Pic: World Economic Forum/Flickr)

By Megan Darby

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott is headed for a confrontation with Pacific island leaders over his stance on coal and climate change this week.

At a meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, six small island states have backed calls for a global moratorium on new coal mines.

Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Tonga urged aggressive action to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

“We are deeply concerned that the future of our nations is threatened by the impacts of climate change,” they wrote.

All nations, “particularly the advanced economies in our region and beyond”, need to “rise to the challenge of climate change… We cannot afford to lock in any further fossil fuel emissions.”

Abbott is due to fly in on Wednesday, his main concern being to unblock a resettlement plan for refugees detained at Manus Island.

But he will face pressure to get more serious about climate change, ahead of this December’s Paris summit to strike a global deal.

Analysis: Why coal miners need a moratorium (but can’t ask)

His enthusiasm for expanding Australia’s coal sector, coupled with a national climate plan widely viewed as “weak”, conflict with his neighbours’ interests.

New Zealand’s emissions target, branded “a slap in the face” to Pacific islands by Oxfam, will also come under scrutiny.

In a report released alongside the meeting, Oxfam said this year’s Cyclone Pam should serve as a “wake-up call” to the two developed nations.

The storm devastated Vanuatu and caused widespread damage in Kiribati and Tuvalu. Climate change is set to increase the intensity of tropical cyclones and rising sea levels raise the risk of coastal flooding.

This threatens the very existence of low-lying island states, some of which are seeking to show leadership despite their negligible contribution to global emissions.

The Marshall Islands committed to slash its emissions 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, in its contribution to a global deal.

EU climate chief Miguel Arias Canete is set to attend the summit and sign agreements with small islands to help them access clean energy.

Report: Australia ‘has world’s biggest climate policy gap’

Australia and New Zealand’s pledges to the UN “fall well short of a fair contribution,” Oxfam added in their report.

Canberra promised to reduce emissions 26% from 2005 to 2030, while Wellington offered a 30% cut over the same period.

Australian Greens joined in the attacks on the country’s prime minister.

“Tony Abbott should feel deeply ashamed when he is at the Pacific Islands Forum this week,” said the party’s Senator Larissa Waters.

“Far from the moratorium on new coal mines that low-lying Pacific nations are calling for, Tony Abbott is trying to re-write environment law to suit mining companies and is attacking clean energy.

“Our Pacific neighbours must shake their heads in disbelief and despair at the Minerals Council’s embarrassing assertion that ‘coal is amazing’ and Tony Abbott’s proclamation that ‘coal is good for humanity’.”

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Ban Ki-moon was given the title of ‘Tupua’ or ‘chief’ during a traditional ceremony in Saleapaga, Samoa, ahead of the UN small islands conference (Pic: UN Photo/E. Schneider)

By Sophie Yeo

Over 3,000 people have gathered in Samoa for a once-in-a-decade discussion on the future of the small island states.

Climate change is set to dominate talks between delegates, led by the presidents and prime ministers of almost all the islands. For these tiny countries, rising sea levels caused by warming temperatures poses an existential threat.

“It is time that we recognise climate change for what it is: a collective crime against humanity,” said President James Michael of the Seychelles.

“Climate change is robbing island nations of their right to exist. We must save our future together.”

Speaking at the event, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said small islands were a “magnifying glass” exposing vulnerabilities countries across the world are likely to face in the future.

“The plight of small island developing states highlights the moral case for climate action,” he said.

“By failing to act, we condemn the most vulnerable to unacceptable disruption to their lives.”

In an interview published in the Sydney Morning Herald the World Bank’s climate envoy Rachel Kyte said rich nations had an “obligation” to help island communities adapt to changing conditions.

“Some will argue that this is an actual issue of justice and an actual issue of rights” given the role rich nations have played in emitting greenhouse gas emissions to “poison” the atmosphere,” she said.

The UN’s science panel recently warned that around 15% of Pacific islands could be wiped off the map by 1m of sea level rise. Oceans are rising four times faster than the global average around the islands.

RMI President says “all we can achieve here in Samoa will be moot if we don’t address the greatest threat: climate change”. #SIDS2014

— Thom Woodroofe (@thomwoodroofe) August 31, 2014

Partners

Talks, which continue until Thursday, will focus on building partnerships that will bring ideas for a more sustainable lifestyle on the islands into fruition.

Almost 300 partnerships have already been formed, including a Google-backed scheme to use Google Earth and mapping technology in ocean protection.

The Conference will culminate in “Samoa Pathway” – a blueprint to guide sustainable development in the islands.

The first draft, issued before the meeting, called for financial support for the small island states, as well as supporting new renewable energy and disaster risk reduction initiatives.

Small island leaders met for the first time in Barbados twenty years ago. The Samoa meeting is the first small islands conference since 2005, when representatives met in Mauritius.

But the islands had limited success in implementing the outcomes of these meetings.

Despite the ambition of the small island states in combating climate change, their capacity to do so is limited without the financial backing of richer countries. So far, this support has not been forthcoming.

Ban said that UN agency chiefs would work together to ensure that this year’s plan would be better implemented that before. The UN heads of climate, development and disasters were all present at the conference.

At #Islands2014 conference in Samoa, speaking at several events http://t.co/B5mYPo6uLR #Climate2014 pic.twitter.com/HZM7qsaSpc — Christiana Figueres (@CFigueres) September 1, 2014

The gathering is a crucial waypoint before the UN Secretary General hosts his climate summit in New York on 23 September.

RTCC understands that leaders will draw up their contribution to the summit during the meeting.

“SIDS [small island developing states] will have an important role to play,” said Ban.

“You can tell the largest emitters what action you expect from them. You can show how you are working to build resilience and create the green economies of the future. You can set an example for the world.”

The post Climate change “robbing nations of right to exist” say small island leaders appeared first on Climate Home News.

The Solomon Islands confronted severe damage following the 2007 tsunami (Pic: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Flickr)

By Sophie Yeo

A small community in the Solomon Islands is preparing to relocate entirely to a neighbouring island, as the pressures of climate change threaten to overwhelm the town and its inhabitants.

Taro Island, the capital of the Solomon’s Choiseul province, is home to around 500 people and lies less than two metres above sea level.

The pressures of climate change on the coastal community are now so severe that plans are now underway to relocate the entire town and its facilities to the mainland.

Town planners, engineers and academics have joined forces to create a blueprint for the new settlement.

“Relocation is the only option available that will keep the community safe and will allow for future growth and prosperity of the capital and the province,” said Philip Haines, project manager at BMT, an engineering consultancy that is working on the plan.

The Solomon Islands, along with other small island nations in the Pacific, are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Since 1993, the sea level around the islands has been rising by about 8mm every year – three times faster than the global average.

A tsunami which hit the Solomon Islands in 2007 caused disruption to almost a quarter of the 90,000 population, and killed over 50 people.

Following the disaster, Choiseul Province Premier Jackson Kiloe called for more government funds to be poured into relocating the capital. “We have just witnessed how vulnerable Taro is to natural disasters,” he said.

The Solomon Islands government granted $3 million to the Choiseul province in 2008 to facilitate the project, allowing a 488 hectare plot of land on the mainland Choiseul Bay to be purchased for the settlement.

The Australian government is funding the design of the new town through a A$32 million project initiated with help from the UN’s fast start finance programme.

Many of the low-lying nations of the Pacific face the prospect of mass migration if sea levels continue to rise at current rates, but this is the first time that a provincial capital will be totally relocated.

Project planners have consulted with local communities to design a new town that is sensitive to their needs.

They have also drawn up interim adaptation measures, such as a tsunami response plan, since complete relocation will take many decades to carry out, during which climate impacts are projected to intensify.

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Young people from small island nations face migration in the future if climate change continues (Pic: E W/Flickr)

By Krishneil Narayan in Fiji

“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation.” Nelson Mandela, 1918 – 2013

The small islands in the Pacific are home to vibrant and distinct cultures, heritage, rich ecosystems, biodiversity and incredible landscapes. I am fortunate to call one of these island countries my home.

But because of the small geographical nature, the challenges our island nations face are many. One of these leading development challenges is climate change.

Climate change is not a distant threat but very much a reality for our island homes.

In the Pacific, climate change is already having an impact on people’s lives, pushing them into deeper hardships, from sea level rise contaminating fresh water reserves to increased intensity of extreme weather events, from food security to possible relocation, increased health risks, coastal erosion and ocean acidification.

Special case

Small island developing States (SIDS) have long been recognized by the international community as a ‘special case’ whose needs and concerns have to be addressed.

Although we are among the least responsible for climate change, we are already experiencing its adverse effects with some countries at the risk of even becoming uninhabitable. This is what makes SIDS a special case requiring the help and attention of the international community.

This recognition is again reinforced by the UN declaring year 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States for the very first time.

Much has changed in the global debate on climate change since the first time I was introduced to the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen.

So has the narrative coming out from the SIDS. There has been a shift from desperate attempts to seek sympathy through “we are drowning” to acts of leadership and strength paving the way for successfully overcoming the challenges through resilience and innovation.

A new story

Being part of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has enhanced the negotiating capacity of SIDS by creating a collective voice for SIDS within the United Nations system.

Holding key leadership positions in various global platforms has also assisted SIDS in getting their key issues across. Fiji’s strong chairmanship of the G77 & China bloc in 2013’s negotiations played an integral part in the adoption of the Warsaw Mechanism on Loss & Damage, which SIDS countries had been lobbying for a number of years.

This shift in narrative is also seen locally especially among the younger generation.

The link between climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development is a matter of survival of young people and the resilience of our islands. Young people from the Pacific islands region put climate change as one of the top five development challenges we face for a sustainable future.

Project Survival Pacific is Fiji’s Youth Climate Movement that has been working with young people from across the Pacific to provide platforms for children and youth voices to be heard in decision making processes, including the UN climate talks.

What sets us apart from the other youth climate movements in general is that since our governments are already convinced that climate change is a top priority and are reflecting this commitment through the policies implemented at national level, Project Survival Pacific has turned to bridging the gap between youth, the communities and the decision makers through partnerships focused on real, meaningful solutions.

By putting focus on meaningful partnerships in collectively addressing our climate change challenges, Project Survival Pacific has managed to get our voices heard at important local, national, regional and global forums.

Our youth members are also included in the government (party) delegations to the UN climate negotiations as official youth delegates, where we actively participate in the negotiation processes to champion the SIDS issues.

Never too young

Youth in Fiji that we work with are now increasingly concerned about the impacts climate change is having.

Earlier in January this year, Vunidogoloa village in Caukaudrove province of Fiji became the country’s first community successfully relocated due to climate change. Government estimates indicate around 640 villages throughout the country are impacted in some way.

A lot of effort has been put in to reach out to the young people here so that they are better equipped to innovate and adapted to the changes we are seeing. From 2015, climate change will be integrated into Fiji’s school curriculum for primary and secondary level.

Krishneil Narayan (left), Shivneel Narayan (centre) and Emeli Mani (right) are part of Project Survival, fighting for the future of small islands (Pic: Project Survival)

Similar activities are also being undertaken by youth in the other two SIDS regions.

The youth from the 3 SIDS regions – the Pacific islands, AIMS and the Caribbean – have teamed up under the SIDS youth network umbrella to address the sustainability challenges we SIDS youth face, including climate change.

This is a great example of partnership emerging among youth in different corners of the planet but with similar challenges working together.

We are never too young to lead.

We each are one jigsaw puzzle piece in a giant jigsaw puzzle. There is something special each one of us can do to make that jigsaw puzzle piece complete and make this world a better place to live. Each one of us are a solution piece for a sustainable, carbon neutral world.

The choice is yours to be that great generation that will lead us towards a sustainable future for all.

Krishneil Narayan is Fiji’s Youth Envoy for Climate Change and a negotiator in the United Nations processes. He is also the Director of Project Survival Pacific: Fiji’s Youth Climate Movement and a SIDS Youth Network facilitator.

The post Project survival: How Pacific island youth are facing down climate change appeared first on Climate Home News.

Pic: IUCNweb/Flickr

By Sophie Yeo

The Pacific Islands say they will push for an agreement on ocean conservation at UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s climate summit in September.

The Palau Declaration is the product of four days of discussions, which wrap up today, between Pacific Island states at their annual Forum.

“As Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum, we have and will continue to play a central role in the stewardship of one of the greatest natural endowments in the world – the Pacific Ocean,” says the Declaration.

It is backed by 16 countries, including Australia, whose reputation as a climate laggard has rocketed since Prime Minister Tony Abbott repealed the carbon tax earlier this month.

Abbott has already indicated that he will not attend Ban Ki-moon’s climate summit, which will take place alongside the UN General Assembly. The Secretary General has called world leaders to New York to create momentum ahead of a UN climate deal which is set to be signed off in 2015. US President Barack Obama has confirmed that he will attend.

Australia’s disinterest in combatting global warming is already creating friction with the ambitious small island states, with New Zealand Green Party delegates at the meeting reporting that leaders had expressed frustration at their lack of action.

Marshall Islands president Christopher Loeak was the first to confirm attendance to the Ban Ki-moon summit back in April.

The Declaration reinforces the particular threat that climate change poses to the vulnerable nations, which they say compounds other development concerns, such as overfishing, urbanisation and fossil fuel dependency.

In the most recent UN climate science report, scientsts said that as oceans warm and the Arctic ice melts, the ocean is rising, causing an existential threat to some of the small island states, which lie only a few feet above sea level.

As well as causing humanitarian issues, as locals are forced from their homes by eroding coastlines and flooding, it could also create a legal headache over disputed territories, which the Declaration sought to address.

“We call for strengthened regional efforts to fix baselines and maritime boundaries to ensure that the impact of climate change and sea level rise does not result in reduced jurisdiction,” it says.

The Declaration called for the importance of the oceans to be cemented by a dedicated goal to oceans within the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal, which are currently under negotiation and which will form the basis of the world’s post-2015 development agenda.

A Working Group on the goals included “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” among the 17 goals that they will forward to the UN General Assembly, but there is a possibility that these could be whittled down in further negotiations. Currently, the UN only has eight development goals.

“We are coming to the table as small island states and are not advocating that one size fits all. Our concern is the sustainability of oceans resources,” said Tommy Remengesau, president of Palau, on Tuesday.

“We cannot call ourselves Pacific Islanders if we are not associated with the ocean. That is a fact of our lives and therefore we’re passionate about it.”

Last year’s Pacific Islands Forum in the Marshall Islands concluded with the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, which was also presented to Ban Ki-moon as a “Pacific gift”, and garnered international support from Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, France, Malaysia and Costa Rica.

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Annual sea level rise around the Solomon Islands of 8 millimetres is almost three times the global average (Pic: UN Photos)

By Gerard Wynn

Even lower projections for longer term sea level rise would wipe out more than 15% of Pacific islands, according to research quoted by a U.N. report to be published next week.

In the shorter term, small island states can better prepare for extreme events including storms and sea level rise through coastal protection and development of less vulnerable land.

The U.N. report, leaked online, is the second of a three-part publication which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produces every five to six years on the threats posed by global warming.

Even in its first such publication in 1990, the IPCC warned of an existential threat to small island states, saying that a 1 metre sea level rise ‘would render some island countries uninhabitable’.

The latest review published research which suggested a widespread threat beyond this century.

A comprehensive study of 12,983 islands of all sizes above 2.5 hectares across the Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines and Hawaiian Islands, found that some 15 to 62% of islands would entirely disappear under sea level rise ranging from 1 to 6 metres.

That corresponded to 1-9% of the total area studied, found the article published last year in the journal Global Change Biology.

The IPCC will next week also quote research that a 0.5 to 2 metre sea level rise could displace between 1.2 and 2.2 million people from islands in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, before allowing for adaptation such as coastal protection.

Next week’s IPCC report quotes research that the world has already locked in 1.3 metres sea level rise over the next two thousand years, as ice sheet melt and warmer seas expand.

Other research, also quoted in the report, calculated that a long-term temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels would lead to a median global sea level rise of 4.8 metres over the next two thousand years.

Extreme events

Most inundation of islands presently is linked to earthquakes, storm surges and swell waves as well as sea level rise, the IPCC said.

For example, from 2002-2004 a village was relocated inland in remote islands in Vanuatu in the southwest Pacific, following inundation which was a result of both tectonic subsidence and sea level rise.

And in 2008, inundation which displaced some 63,000 people in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands was caused by large swell waves coupled with unusually high sea levels linked with the natural El Nino weather pattern, which leads to relatively more rainfall over the Pacific Ocean compared with over land.

Island states could prepare for such events through more thoughtful development, where recent rapid urbanisation and growth in tourism has seen increasing settlement of more vulnerable coastal land.

The IPCC found that most Pacific atoll islands had not seen net inundation yet.

“Historical shoreline position change over 20 to 60 years on 27 central Pacific atoll islands showed that total land area remained relatively stable in 43 per cent of islands, whilst another 43 per cent had increased in area, and the rest showed a net reduction in land area,” the IPCC said, reporting research published in 2010.

However, one more recent study in the Marshall Islands showed that overall net accretion before 2004 had since switched to net erosion in 17 of a group of 18 islands.

Long-term

Sea levels rise both as oceans expand as a result of global warming, and as more water is added to the sea from melting glaciers and polar ice sheets.

Vulnerable islands include states and territories in the tropics of the southern and western Pacific Ocean, central and western Indian Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern Atlantic off the coast of west Africa, as well as in the Mediterranean.

The IPCC reported last year on the physical evidence for climate change, and projected sea level rise this century of 0.26 and 0.82 metres, according to scenarios which ranged from rapid cuts in carbon dioxide emissions to continuing rising emissions through the century.

In the long term, global sea levels are expected to rise by more than 1 metre as ice sheets continue to melt regardless of trends in carbon emissions and warming, and by much more if carbon emissions continue to rise for the next few decades.

The post Some 15% of Pacific islands wiped out by 1m sea level rise – IPCC appeared first on Climate Home News.

Source: Flickr / Zanthia

New Zealand: A Pacific Island man trying to flee rising seas and environmental risks caused by global warming in his home country of Kiribati asked a New Zealand court on Wednesday to let him pursue his claim as a climate change refugee. (Reuters)

Australia: The Abbott government is asking for submissions on how it should design its $1.5bn emissions reduction fund. It wants suggestions by 18 November on the terms of reference for a green paper and white paper on how to set up the fund, which will begin buying greenhouse gas abatement from 1 July, 2014. (Guardian)

Germany: The Green Party have ruled out any further coalition talks with Angela Merkel’s conservatives early on Wednesday, leaving the chancellor to focus on discussions with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) in her efforts to form a new government. (EurActiv)

Germany: Opposition parties on Tuesday accused Angela Merkel of pandering to the car lobby, after her conservatives received major donations from the family that controls BMW (Trust.org)

UN: The UN Conference on Trade and Development’s trade and environment report 2013, warns that continuous rural poverty, persistent hunger and growing populations, must be treated as a collective crisis. The report says urgent and far-reaching action is needed before climate change begins to cause major disruptions to agriculture, especially in developing countries. (Observer)

Business: In the first crossover partnership of its kind in Britain between a car company and an energy company, Volkswagen says it will provide 100% green electricity to customers buying one of its electric vehicles. (RTCC)

US: The Supreme Court announced that it will take up the question of whether the Environmental Protection Agency can include greenhouse gas emission limits in permits it issues for new or expanding large polluters like refineries and power plants. (Mother Jones)

World Bank: Businesses should play a bigger role in helping to save depleted fish stocks as part of efforts to prevent irreversible damage to the oceans, a World-Bank backed report said on Wednesday.The study said policies for protecting the oceans from over-fishing, pollution and climate change were often ineffective and fragmented. (Reuters)

Holland: A coalition of business, politicians and NGOs have published a ‘National Energy Agreement’ to scale up renewable energy generation and energy efficiency measures to meet Holland’s 2020 targets. The policy looks to increase the proportion of energy generated from renewable sources from 4.4% to 14% in 2020 with an investment of €375 million, together with proposals to shut down five coal power plants by 2017. (RTCC)

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Swire joined 13 Pacific Island leaders and ministers from New Zealand, Japan, Australia and the USA for the Majuro Declaration

By Hugo Swire

The post UK commits to supporting Pacific Islands in climate fight appeared first on Climate Home News.

By Ed King

Leaders of 13 Pacific Island countries acutely vulnerable to rising sea levels have released a statement calling for ‘urgent action’ to address climate change.

The 12-page document says governments in the region are committed to demonstrating ‘climate leadership’ and calls on countries to list ‘specific’ pledges to reduce pollution.

The ‘Majuro Declaration’, also signed by Australia and New Zealand, will be presented to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon in New York later this month.

“The responsibility of all to act falls to every government, every company, every organization and every person with the capacity to do so, both individually and collectively,” it says.

The declaration was issued at this year’s Pacific Island Forum meeting in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, which was briefly submerged by high tides in June this year.

At the request of the organisers EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard, UK Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire and representatives from the USA and China also attended the summit.

The text underlines the intense frustration among leaders of small island states at the sluggish progress at the UN in cutting global greenhouse gas emissions.

Scientists warn carbon dioxide levels need to peak this decade to avoid temperatures rising 2°C above pre industrial levels, which is considered to be a threshold of ‘dangerous climate change’.

The UN’s forthcoming IPCC climate science report is expected to warn that sea levels could rise between 29 and 82cm (11.4 to 32.3 inches) before 2100, levels which threaten the existence of some Pacific states.

In a statement Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak said he hoped the declaration could be a “game changer” in driving talks on a global emissions reduction deal forward.

“We’ve had a strong meeting of minds here on the urgency of the problem, but the real work begins now,” he said.

“We need the rest of the world to follow the Pacific’s lead. I look forward to making that case during meetings with fellow Leaders at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.”

FULL TEXT: Majuro Declaration + Commitments

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Pacific Island leaders aim to adopt a regional climate change risk and disaster strategy in August 2014 (Pic: Flickr/miguel sancheese)

Pacific Island states have agreed to redouble efforts to secure agreement for a climate change compensation scheme at UN climate talks.

Leaders from 17 island nations met in Fiji last week for a four-day Pacific Island Roundtable summit to discuss how best to cope with rising sea levels and increased incidences of drought.

A statement released at its conclusion called for support to “further efforts to secure an international mechanism” under the UN’s climate convention, emphasising the “existential threat” posed to Pacific Island communities.

Loss and damage is a controversial issue at international negotiations. Many developed countries fearing they could face unlimited liabilities if it were accepted, but climate vulnerable nations argue they are already suffering from extreme weather linked to man-made climate change.

Work towards a mechanism is likely to continue at the next round of international climate talks in Warsaw, although it is unclear how an agreement could be reached.

The leaders also agreed to accelerate work on a regional disaster risk strategy to offer governments better warning and help in the event of extreme weather events.

“A strategic policy and a strong political will and commitment are the key tenants of realizing the vision of integrating climate change and disaster response,” said Fiji’s Minister for Disaster Management, Inia Seruiratu, closing the talks.

If the regional strategy is endorsed by Pacific Leaders in August 2014, the Pacific will be the first region in the world with an integrated plan to tackle disaster risk and climate change.

The importance of a regional partnership was underlined three weeks ago when the Marshall Islands capital Majuro was swamped by record high tides. The whole country is currently suffering from drought, exacerbated by rising sea levels.

Fiji and Samoa are still recovering from Tropical Cyclone Evan, which hit in December 2012. It is thought to be one of the worst storms since 1990, causing around $300 million worth of damage.

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Australian National Tidal Centre reports that sea levels in Kiribati have averaged a rise of 3.7 millimetres a year since 1992 (Pic: UN)

By Ed King

Pacific Island leaders meeting in Fiji this week aim to lay the foundations for a regional plan to cope with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change.

The four-day Pacific Climate Change Roundtable brings together 21 countries at acute risk from rising sea levels and storm surges.

They hope to start work on a strategy to collectively deal with these challenges that will be agreed in 2015, the same year a global emissions deal could be signed off at the UN.

Two weeks ago the capital of the Marshall Islands disappeared underwater as a result of high tides, while in 2012 the impact of extreme weather events cost Fiji $100 million, and knocked 29% off Samoa’s GDP.

“It’s important to come together and formulate a roadmap for the region in climate change, adaptation and disaster risk management,” Tonga’s chief meteorologist Ofa Fa’anunu told RTCC.

“Studies have been carried out – we have been involved in most of them. Output from both studies indicates sea level rise, more and stronger tropical cyclones, and what is clear is that the climate is predicted to be more variable, and at times extreme events will become more frequent.”

Pacific Island nations have worked closely with the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) to push for greater emission cuts at the UN climate talks.

But with carbon dioxide levels rising fast there is an evident need to focus on how to cope with climate-related disasters.

Recently Fiji offered 6,000 acres of land to the low-lying island state of Kiribati for food security purposes, while there are also plans to create a network of meteorological stations that can provide better warnings of extreme weather events.

“One of the core things that needs to be ironed out is the gathering and monitoring of data. We cannot provide good adaptation if data is not available on a timely and accurate basis,” Fa’anunu said.

“Trying to maintain an observation network is one of our biggest challenges. Many of us will be attending that meeting – it’s important to come together and formulate a roadmap for the region in climate change, adaptation and disaster risk management.”

Tough future

The forthcoming UN review of climate science collated by the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is likely to offer Pacific states clues on what they can expect in the coming years.

The UN’s last major report in 2007 (AR4) warned that islands could expect accelerated coastal erosion, diminishing freshwater supplies and increased flooding from the sea cause large effects on human settlements.

“Less rainfall coupled with accelerated sea-level rise compound the threat on water resources; a 10% reduction in average rainfall by 2050 is likely to correspond to a 20% reduction in the size of the freshwater lens on Tarawa Atoll, Kiribati,” it added.

Studies undertaken under the Pacific Islands Climate Change Science Program indicate that sea levels are rising around the Solomon Islands by about 8mm per year since 1993, higher than the global average of 2.8–3.6mm per year.

Pacific leaders have been urged to develop a 25-30 year strategy that involves business and civil society, strengthening physical sea defences and building awareness among populations.

“I urge the world to follow the example of the Pacific and abandon the current norm of running separate and parallel strategies for disaster risk management and climate change. By committing to integrate the two approaches, the Pacific will benefit millions of people and avoid billions of dollars in economic losses,” said the the Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström.

“If the rest of the world follows suit then the equation is transformed further: then billions of people will benefit and trillions of dollars of losses will be avoided. It is difficult to imagine a bigger sustainable development opportunity that is within our grasp if we have the courage and vision to seize it.”

“This is a historic meeting which will integrate responses to climate change and natural disasters in The Pacific region,” said David Sheppard, head of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“This meeting will identify the key areas of focus and synergy between the two critical areas for our region.”

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Rising sea levels and the growing threat of drought are top of the agenda for a 10-day Pacific Island disaster risk management meeting that opened in Nadi, Fiji, this week.

The fourth Pacific Climate Change Roundtable brings together environment ministers, meteorologists and UN officials to discuss the impact of recent high tides on the Marshall Islands, which engulfed the capital Majuro.

The Islands were suffering from a severe drought before storm surges hit, a phenomenon that is affecting a number of Pacific states, which are acutely vulnerable to climate change.

“Natural disasters such as Cyclone Evan which battered Samoa and Fiji late last year and the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Solomon Islands earlier this year remind us again of the power of nature and the vulnerability of Pacific nations both to climate change and to natural disasters,” said David Sheppard, head of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

Record tides submerged parts of the Marshall Islands’ capital last week – they were already suffering from drought (Pic: SPREP)

Pacific Islands are often described as being on the front line of climate change, facing droughts, rising sea levels and intense storms linked to global warming.

A temperature rise above 2°C on pre-industrial levels could lead to climatic changes that make many of these islands uninhabitable.

A study published by the UN Environment Programme in November 2012 revealed that 10 million people in 500 communities were at risk in the region.

Low-lying islands are at particular risk and could face losses of up to 18% of GDP because of climate change, the study found.

A 1989 UN report cited Kiribati as one of the countries likely to completely disappear in the 21st century from rising sea levels – the country hopes to secure funds to reopen four disused weather stations at the meeting.

“We see this as a very important forum. We’re hoping to know the key people behind the network itself the Climate Change Roundtable,” said Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu, representing Kiribati’s Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agriculture Development.

“We hope also that this forum will help to address the problems, the science of climate change at the regional level and how it links up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”

Delegates from 17 states are also likely to agree new links between national meteorological organizations to ensure better cooperation in tsunami warning, tropical cyclone forecasting, drought and water management.

In 2009 around 150 people died when a tidal wave hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

“The world is watching and our series of meetings sends a clear message that we must integrate our responses if we are to effectively address the challenges of climate change and natural disasters in this century,” Sheppard added.

“In our region our leaders have continually reminded us of the urgency of climate change and that it is in fact an issue of national security.”

Video: Dramatic tidal flooding closes Majuro airport

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“We are not drowning, We are fighting” is the key message from organisers, backed by UNICEF and campaign group 350.org.

In Samoa players from the national rugby team will stage their famous Manu Siva War dance together with 200 school children.

Kiribati, whose citizens face evacuation due to flooding, will witness a 1000-strong warriors challenge at sunset.

And in Fiji politician and TV personality Manoa Rasigatale will launch the Na Bole – Fijian Warriors Challenge, to show that Fijians are: “proud, resilient and determined” to face up to climate change.

350 Pacific spokesperson Mikaele Maiava explained the day’s title: “We do not want to be perceived as vulnerable victims to this global crisis of climate change but as fighting warriors.”

Kiribati’s government has preparations to evacuate the islands if sea levels continue to ride (Pic: The Hungry Tide/Speciality Studios)

The Pacific Islands are often described as being on the front line of climate change, facing droughts, rising sea levels and intense storms linked to global warming.

A temperature rise above 2°C on pre-industrial levels could lead to climatic changes that make many of these islands uninhabitable.

A study published by the UN Environment Programme in November 2012 revealed that 10 million people in 500 communities were at risk in the region.

Low-lying islands are at particular risk and could face losses of up to 18% of GDP because of climate change, the study found.

“We have not seen any increase in the commitments needed to achieve the global temperature goal, ensure we meet our ultimate objective of the Convention, keep global average temperature below 1.5 degrees and ensure the survival of all islands,” he said.

“There is no new finance on the table, only promises that something might materialize in the future. Finance was missing in Durban and it remains missing here in Doha.

“It is difficult to see how we can continue this process unless we mobilise the necessary financial resources to enable the urgently needed funding for mitigation and adaptation.”

To mark the Day of Action TV Producers Speciality Studios are offering their award-winning film The Hungry Tide free online.

It chronicles the plight of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, which is already being inundated by rising seas and could become the world’s first climate-induced migration of an entire nation.

The Hungry Tide from Specialty Studios on Vimeo.

The post ‘Warrior Day of Action’ highlights Pacific climate fight appeared first on Climate Home News.

The livelihoods of 10 million people living on Pacific Islands are at risk from climate change, according to a new study released at the UN climate talks in Doha.

The report examined the experience of 500 island communities and found sea-level rise, tropical cyclones, floods and drought, combined with unsustainable fishing practices and coastal development are leaving them increasingly vulnerable.

Low-lying islands are at particular risk and could face losses of up to 18% of GDP because of climate change, the study found.

New study finds islands in the Pacific Ocean could be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (Source: Rafeal Avila Coya/Creative Commons)

The report comes as the 195 parties under the climate convention meet in Doha to work towards a new global deal on climate change. Developing countries, including small island states, have been calling for a greater emphasis on adaptation at the talks.

One of the big issues in Doha is how developed nations are going to come up with the pledged $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poorer countries tackle the impacts of climate change.

The new report, prepared by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) calls for action to be taken in the region to enforce environmental legislation.

It also calls for an improvement in the availability of environmental data and the strengthening of environmental institutions.

“Enhancing local capacity to directly monitor and manage the impacts of the region’s changing environment is essential for reducing climate risks, but also for unlocking the potential economic benefits that a transition to an inclusive, low-carbon and resource efficient green economy can bring,” Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director said.

The post UNEP: 10 million Pacific Islanders under threat from Climate Change appeared first on Climate Home News.

The Pacific Islands are ground zero for climate change.

They are some of the lowest lying countries in the world. With over half of the populations of the Pacific Islands living less than 1.5 km from the coast, they are incredibly vulnerable to sea-level rises and extreme weather.

Many nations in the region are already feeling the effects of climate change, including food and water shortages, rising cases of malaria and more frequent flooding and storms.

The worst case scenario for these countries is the relocation of entire communities or islands.

As the world meets in Doha for the latest round of the UN climate talks, the Pacific Islanders are calling for greater ambition on emissions cuts.

As part of RTCC’s youth profile series, I spoke to Krishneil Narayan, Director of Project Survival Pacific about the importance of building a greater understanding on climate change in the region and the impacts that are already been felt in the country.

What are your group doing and what areas of work do you focus on?

Project Survival Pacific (PSP) is a youth environmental organisation in Fiji that works to safeguard the survival of the Pacific Island people form the impacts of climate change and push sustainable development within the region.

We were born out of the Project Survival Campaign of the international youth climate movement at COP14 – the negotiations in Poznan in 2008. Since then we have been working around climate change and trying to work with the youth in the Pacific.

The international youth delegation at COP14 had a simple, but powerful message to communicate: survival is not negotiable.

Global youth asked all countries to commit to a global climate treaty that safeguards the survival of all countries and peoples. This principle, which became known as ‘The Survival Principle’ is also called for by the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations.

This triggered the birth of Project Survival – the notion that the youth movement had to work towards become truly global.

Our overarching aim is to build a generation wide movement on climate change by educating, inspiring, empowering and mobilising Pacific Islanders around the issue, and helping the Pacific youth to be more influential and engaged in solutions to our climate change challenges and sustainable development in the Pacific. We want to ensure the long-term survival of our people.

Our primary focus for 2012 has been on climate education. Early in the year we conducted a survey amongst environmental professionals in Fiji that indicated that young people here in Fiji need to learn more about the basics of the challenges imposed by climate change, and to use sustainable development principles as a means to addressing them.

We have been using that survey and based on that our focus has been on educating the youth in Fiji, starting with the basics. We have been targeting our activities at reaching out to youth institutions and providing them with a platform to learn and express themselves. And we tailor the programmes according to their needs and wants and the cultures of Fiji. We are able to accommodate people who are just being introduced to these projects.

We have four overall campaigns running this year. The first is community engagement and education through which we reached out to all of these institutions and other communities.

The second one was media and communication. We advocate for climate change and sustainable development through getting our message out using our national media. The PSP has a regular opinion column in the Fiji Times the most widely read daily print and online news service. We use that opinion column to write about sustainability and climate change issues related to young people.

That campaign has been really successful and we have been getting very positive feedback from the articles we have been writing.

The third campaign was the Future We Want. It was based around the Rio+20 summit and getting our members involved in that process for the first half of the year. We had our members write our own vision for the future we want; our 2030 vision. We submitted that to the UN at Rio+20 and we also went to Rio+20. Our focus for much of the first half of the year was around Rio+20.

Our fourth project we have been running this year was our Train-A-Climate Ambassador Program (TaCAP). PSP has a deep connection with the UNFCCC process and international climate change affairs since we were born out of a campaign at one of the negotiations in Poznan. Our climate ambassador programme is a year long leadership training programme for young people between the age of 18 and 28 years in the field of international climate change negotiations and international affairs so that the new generation entering the workforce here in Fiji can effectively oversee climate change policy and campaign implementation in the Pacific region.

It is through this programme that we are sending one delegate to Doha next week.

The group have been able to connect with other youth from around the world at the UN climate change negotiations (Source: Project Survival Pacific/Facebook)

What results have you seen from your work so far?

We saw a need for young people to really be introduced to this issue in Fiji. There is currently no other youth group like us that solely focuses on climate change in this country. When we started approaching people and getting them introduced to climate change we saw a real interest among young people to learn and get more involved.

When we did our outreach programme and community engagement programme we got more and more young people involved and we were able to get them really active around this issue.

One of our major successes this year was from our media outreach programme. The articles that we have been writing, we have been receiving really positive reviews about it. People now know that there is a group like us which is active and that young people in the country are really concerned about climate change and really want to do something about it.

The articles are currently being used by students at the University of Fiji as an education tool so that they can keep up with the current issues and learn what is happening around the world on climate change and also the impacts of climate change in Fiji.

The University of the South Pacific, which is another regional university based in Fiji have organised a national climate change quiz in Fiji. They have been using our material as resources for their quizzes. It was really interesting when they approached us and told us that they find our materials really appropriate for this.

One of the most interesting things is that we were approached by a school in China asking us for permission to use our materials to teach children in China about the impacts of climate change and sustainability issues affecting the Pacific people.

This shows that our work is really being put out there and that people are really looking into our work and are actually finding it useful for students.

The things which we have been writing and the material we have been producing, the International Labour Organisation’s regional office based out of Bangkok in Thailand, have been reposting them and including them in their monthly newsletters.

It really goes to show that our efforts are being recognised around the region and not just in Fiji.

What has also worked for us is that PSP is affiliated to the National Youth Council of Fiji and the Youth Assembly of the Fiji Islands– these are the two national umbrella youth bodies that represent all NGO based youth groups. Through these affiliations, we have managed to expand our networks and gather support from other youths.

There is no other youth based climate movement like PSP in Fiji. Our uniqueness works in our favor in attracting people to our projects.

What are the challenges you faced in your work?

The team took part in discussions at the Pacific Regional Climate Change & Health Symposium (Source: Project Survival Pacific/Facebook)

There is no other group like us in Fiji so this whole concept of youth mobilisation around climate change is really new in the country.

There is no set format and there is no funding for us to really tap in to. That has been one of our major challenges.

Also trying to get our work recognised by the government and by other NGOs who already have a base here in Fiji.

What support have you seen for your activities?

We have been slowly trying to build networks with other NGOs with a base in the region and trying to find ways where we can work together. As we are reaching out to the people more and talking about these issue more we are seeing that people are being more receptive to our work and recognising that the things that we are doing are really genuine and that we are an organised group.

People write to us to add on their thoughts and give ideas as to how we can engage in their localities. Networks such as the UNDP Pacific Solutions Exchange Platforms, Pacific Globalization Network, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) and the Fiji Times have all worked with us in our education efforts.

We have had people inviting us to be at events and requesting us to speak at events and inviting us to put up our educational booths at their events. Slowly we are making better connections with other organisations.

Even with the government of Fiji, we have been trying to find ways we can work together on national policy work and taking that policy work out at the grassroots level.

What impacts are you already seeing in your country from climate change?

Fiji has recently been really affected by extreme weather patterns. Earlier this year in January and then in April of this year we had two major floods of the type that we had never really experienced before.

It had rained for a few hours and places where it never used to flood were really affected. Farms were destroyed, people’s homes were destroyed, a few lives were lost. Basically the whole Western part of the main island of Fiji was really affected and devastated and the whole of the infrastructure was really damaged. That has really cost Fiji in terms of development.

The Minister of Health also said that during these extreme floods the tendency of dengue, leptospirosis, typhoid and diarrhoea were increased ten fold. And they had really difficult time trying to contain those health related issues that cropped up after the flooding.

Sea level rise and coastal erosion has been reported in the outer islands of the country. We have had reports from Kadavu and Vanua Balavu, one of the two largest islands in the country.

Also the variety of sugar canes has really been affected. They have been trying to test with different varieties in Fiji, trying to see if any other variety works really well. Currently they are all using one variety of sugar cane and currently sugar cane is Fiji’s third largest contributor to GDP.

What would be your vision for 2050? How do we get there?

Project Survival Pacific’s vision is a future where survival, prosperity and the needs of the people of the Pacific are ensured and where the problems of climate change and environmental degradation are solved through global cooperation.

The UN negotiations in Doha are beginning next week so we would really like to see more commitment and some tangible pathways as to how the new treaty to be implemented by 2020 will be formulated by 2015. Less talk and more action is what is needed.

I am not going this year but from my previous experiences of participating at COPs I have learnt not to expect too much from these negotiations because the expectations that I usually have, the results that we get are usually significantly less than what is urgently required to tackle the climate change impacts.

What would help your group move forward in your work?

We are a small but powerful group but funding is really really our drawback. Funding for youth based groups like us in this region is extremely limited or next to none.

So far we have been sourcing our money from our own personal pockets to fund our projects and activities. We could really use more funding. It would really help us in executing more of our work at the grassroots level.

Why did you get involved in the climate movement? What do you think youth groups bring to the debate?

(Source: Project Survival Pacific/Facebook)

I got involved with climate change when I was introduced to the topic at university. I was able to make the connection between the impacts and the things that we are seeing here in Fiji. I was one of the lucky ones to go through some training with Al Gore in 2009 and that got me really involved in climate change in that year.

I was then introduced to Project Survival Pacific that was just starting up at the time; it was only a few months old. I was really attracted to the mission and idea of such a group here in the Pacific, and I saw the potential for the youth movement around climate change here in Fiji.

I think youth are more motivated and are more passionate about these issues I guess than other groups. I guess it is because we have the most at stake from the long-term impacts. The older generation will slowly fade away and we will be the ones who have to deal with the extreme impacts of climate change.

We as one of the major stakeholder have a lot at stake and for me myself; the passion that drives me to do this is securing a future for myself as well as my future generations to come. My brother is still young and a future for him is something that I would like to see more sustainable.

More RTCC Youth Profiles:

Youth Profile #19: The new group taking the green world by storm – meet the Arab Youth Climate Movement

Youth Profile #18: The young African scientists linking modern research with indigenous wisdom

Youth Profile #17: The African youth group driving climate adaptation in rural communities

Youth Profile #16: Inspiring climate change action through education in Africa

Youth Profile #15: Canadian youth rise above dirty domestic policies and push for climate action

Youth Profile #14: Costa Rica’s youth eye a carbon neutral future

Youth Profile #13: Giving youth a platform at the European Parliament

Youth Profile #12: European activists demand governments put their futures ahead of ‘dirty industry’

Youth Profile #11: China’s young activists out to prove they do care about climate change

Youth Profile #10: Life on climate change’s frontline with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition

Youth Profile #9: Young entrepreneurs driving sustainability at US campuses

Youth Profile #8: Why education is key to developing climate awareness in Ghana

Youth Profile #7: Why Indonesia’s biodiversity is at the front line of the fight against climate change

Youth Profile #6: Meet the African coalition that brings together 54 countries to tackle climate change

Youth Profile #5: Bangladeshi youth fight to give world’s second most climate vulnerable country a voice

Youth Profile #4: Nepal’s youth fight to save Himalayan paradise from effects of pollution and climate change

Youth Profile #3: Canada’s climate coalition on taking on the Tar Sands lobby and fighting for Kyoto

Youth Profile #2: How PIDES are working on practical solutions to climate change in Mexico

Youth Profile #1: How Nigerian Climate Coalition are building green bridges ahead of COP18

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Two of the world’s smallest countries have announced two of the largest marine parks to date, at the Pacific Islands’ Forum being held on the Cook Islands.

The host nation, made up of 15 islands, announced the creation of a marine park covering nearly 1.1 million square kilometres – an area bigger than France and Germany.

Speaking at the opening of the Forum, Henry Puna, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands said: “The Marine Park will provide the necessary framework to promote sustainable development by balancing economic growth interests such as tourism, fishing and deep-sea mining, with conserving core biodiversity and natural assets, in the ocean, reefs and islands.”

2.5 million square kilometers would make it the largest protected area in the world (Source: USFWS Pacific/Creative Commons)

“The Cook Islands is proud, and especially honoured to join Kiribati and Tokelau, in our commitment to the Pacific Oceanscape. In this regard, we also note the steps by Australia to establish a significant network of marine reserves,” he added.

The Pacific Oceanscape, launched in 2008 by island nation Kiribati, with their own 400,000 square kilometre protected area on the Phoenix Island, commits them to a new integrated approach to ocean management including adaptation to climate change.

It covers the 40 million square kilometres inside the Pacific Islands’ exclusive economic zones.

So far Kiribati has been joined by Palau and Tokelau in creating vast whale, dolphin and shark sanctuaries, and Australia which in June announced the expansion of the country’s marine protection reserves.

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Neighbouring country New Caledonia also pledged to create a marine protected area in its exclusive economic zone.

The areas will cover 1.4 million square kilometres – an area half the size of India– in the next two to three years.

The two pledges combined will mean 2.5 million square kilometres of ocean are protected.

To date, the world’s largest marine reserve is 545,000 square kilometres and was established by the UK around the Chagos Islands in the India Ocean.

Ocean conservation was seen as one of the major wins of the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development held in Brazil this June. Many believe the oceans were given unprecedented focus throughout the two week summit, resulting in significant attention given to it in the conference’s “Future We Want” document.

RTCC Video: Wendy Watson-Wright at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at UNESCO talks about her optimism in seeing so much focus on oceans at Rio…

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The Yukon-Kuskokwim delta is in a state of flux as permafrost and sea ice melts. (Source: Flickr/JWorley)

The villagers of Newtok in Alaska could have gained the undesirable title of America’s first climate change refugees.

The community in the west of the state has undergone drastic changes as melting permafrost has literally shifted the ground beneath them and the loss of sea ice has removed a vital storm barrier.

Increased erosion, melting of a frozen sewage lagoon, hurricane force winds and flooding have forced a drastic solution.

The Yup’ik Eskimo village is planning an ambitious relocation nine miles south of the town’s present site.

It’s plight was brought to attention at the International Institute for Environment and Development’s (IIED) Community Adaptation Conference in Hanoi which concluded this week.

Robin Bronen, executive director of the Alaska Immigration Justice Project, has worked with Newtok and other communities in the state facing a similar predicament.

He said the Newtok Planning Group is looking at the change as an opportunity.

“Their vision of their community is to be sustainable and resilient for the long-term so they’re looking at alternative technologies to get the electricity they need and alternative forms of housing so they use less energy,” Bronen told Reuters AlertNet in Hanoi.

Communities at risk

According to Bronen’s academic work there are 200 other indigenous groups addressing how they can deal with the consequences of climatic shifts in the Arctic. At least 12 of these are thought to require relocation.

Migration has been driven by natural changes in the climate for millennia but the rapid human-induced alterations witnessed now are the first to displace modern communities.

In the Pacific Islands storm surges and rising sea levels in several nations are encroaching on freshwater supplies.

Earlier this year the President of the Kiribati islands announced that his country was purchasing 6000 acres of land on Fiji as investment in the country’s future.

Despite the effects being felt on home soils, the existence of anthropological climate change remains an area for debate in US politics.

VIDEO: William Lacy Swing, Director General, International Organisation of Migration talks to RTCC at the UN climate talks in Durban.

The post Is this village in Alaska home to first climate change migrants in US? appeared first on Climate Home News.

Kiribati President Anote Tong says the purchased land in Fiji is for his country's economic development. (Source: UN/Marcos Castro)

The President of the pacific Islands of Kiribati has rejected recent media stories claiming that residents were to be relocated to Fiji.

Following the purchase of 6000 acres on Fiji by the government last week, it was claimed that the land would re-house climate change refugees.

Last week he was quoted as saying: “We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it”.

In the statement released today however, he claims that the land will be used to help prepare younger generations for a future working in Australia or New Zealand.

Rising sea levels and increased storm surges are tainting freshwater supplies and making agriculture more difficult to sustain.

“Our priority is to serve the needs of our people today and steer the country to the path of sustainable economic development,” said President Anote Tong.

“I’m glad we’ve taken this milestone with Fiji and hope that developed countries can engage with countries like us in this arena,” said Tong adding that practical action was more valuable in the short-term than “negotiating climate change issues where common ground is far from reach”.

The rumoured $9.6m investment in Fiji could be used to re-home climate refugees but the government stresses that its primary role is economic.

Last year several pacific islands required bottled water to be flown in after drought and sea water contamination of springs.

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Climate change could force the entire nation of Kiribati to re-locate to Fiji, the nation’s president has warned.

Speaking to the Associated Press today, Kiribati President Anote Tong said his Cabinet had agreed a plan to buy around 6,000 acres of land on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu.

The nation's president did not rule out the relocation of the entire population of Kiribati (© Rafael Avila Coya/creative commons)

While the area would be big enough to house the entire 103,000 residents of Kiribati, Tong said the relocation would be a last resort.

“We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it,” Tong said. “It wouldn’t be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them moving won’t be a matter of choice. It’s basically a matter of survival.

“We’re trying to secure the future for our people. The international community needs to be addressing this problem more.”

Paid for by phosphate mining on the Kiribati islands in the 1970s, the land in Fiji – which is located about 1,400 miles south of the archipelago – is being sold by a church group for about $9.6 million.

Some of Kiribati’s villages have already had to move as climate change and sea level rise impact the islands – many of which sit just a few feet above sea level.

Some scientists estimate current sea level rise in the Pacific of about 2 mm per year, and expect this rate to accelerate due to climate change.

Rainfall and changing tidal and storm patterns are contaminating underground fresh water supplies vital for tress and crops, threatening the region’s islands.

Floating Island

Other options being considered by Kiribati to combat climate change include shoring up some of the islands’ sea walls – ensuring that the nation continues to exist in some form even if the worst-case scenario was witnessed.

Other more extreme measures considered include building a floating island to relocate people to.

Tong says he hopes Fiji would be just one of several options for relocating people, although the current land being considered is three times larger than the atoll of Tarawa which is currently home to more than half of Kiribati’s population, and could potentially home the entire population.

He says he is waiting for full parliamentary approval of the plans before formally discussing the potential relocation with Fijian officials.

Kiribati is not the first Pacific Island to consider such drastic measures to combat climate change.

Last month, former president of the Maldives, Mohamad Nasheed called on the Australian government to prepare itself for a wave of climate refugees as residents look for a new home.

And drought-hit Tuvalu also needed drastic help last year, as Australia and New Zealand airlifted water supplies onto the islands, following the La Nina weather phenomenon.

How the latest move by Kiribati will be received by Fiji, however, it yet to be known. Tong says he is waiting for full parliamentary approval of the plans before formally discussing the potential relocation with Fijian officials.

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