26 February 2019
Climate change impact on coasts and sea levels in the Pacific Islands
I have written several articles in recent days about the impact of climate change on the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands but for a better and more comprehensive picture of climate change impacts on coasts and seas in the Pacific Island region, and how Pacific Islands can respond, I recommend the reading of the ‘Pacific Marine Climate Change Report Card 2018 Commonwealth Marine Economies Programme.’ This report is available on the web and can easily be downloaded.
Quoting an opening couple of paragraphs from the Report Card it says:
“This report card has highlighted some of the key impacts that Pacific islands face from climate change. By drawing together information from a range of regional experts in a policy context, the card shows that to respond in an effective and appropriate manner, further understanding of these impacts at a local scale is needed, along with actions that are realistic and achievable.”
In another section of the Report card one reads:
“Whilst we Pacific islanders may be amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, we are empowered enough to do what we can to play our part as responsible global citizens and to help our island communities adapt. “
In terms of addressing the impact of climate change and the need for adaptation measures the following is mentioned.
“Climate change projections are improving all the time and can help us to understand future impacts on ecosystems and the people they support, by mid-to-end century. However, many climatic changes will be incremental, and start to manifest before then. To fully understand the changes taking place, monitoring and evaluation of physical and ecosystem changes is needed which must feed into, and assess progress against model projections, and link information to government decision makers. It is imperative that climate change adaptation begins now. Flexible management systems, that are adaptive over time, are urgently needed which connect terrestrial and marine systems, link different sectors of government and industry and provide long-term planning solutions. These systems must address other stressors as well, such as habitat destruction and pollution, which exacerbate climate change impacts. Engaging social and cultural groups is a fundamental part of successful climate action and their inclusion will benefit efforts to build climate change resilience. Communities should be involved in research and knowledge collection, in decision-making, and in actions and programme and project outputs. Enduring engagement of culture and traditional knowledge will help ensure the effectiveness of resilience strategies. Working together and uniting in addressing climate change at the international level is the strength of the Pacific islands.
“The cost of climate change is far too high for any island to address alone. National actions on the ground also have regional links, with different Pacific islands learning from each other as they forge a path forward. The challenges of policy development and adaptation in one island nation may help another as they journey into similar waters.”
“Communities can adapt by catching fish which are more resilient to climate change, and conserving and restoring important fish habitats. - optimising the sustainable economic benefits from tuna through regional management, in light of shifting location and productivity of tuna resources across the Pacific. “
“Many anticipated climate change impacts are described in this report card, but the future is far from certain. The nature and extent of these impacts will be shaped by future global emissions levels. All indications show that only by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to levels consistent with stabilising global temperatures below 1.5?C we can avoid reaching critical tipping points and the worst impacts of climate change in the Pacific region. Global mean temperature rise will determine the state of future ocean-based ecosystems and livelihoods.”
Frankly, having carefully read the full and detailed Report Card report I was hoping to have found something more substantial to be able to learn how the huge financial needs of the people of Kiribati, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, the Marshall Islands and those in the exposed coastal regions of the Solomon Islands, where the adaptation measures to combat sea rise and salt water penetration require raising the level of the land and building effective coastal defences, could be sourced and met.
I could be wrong in my reaction to the Report Card commentary and would welcome any assurance to the contrary.
One commentary that I did receive in response to my most recent article regarding the plight of the Marshall Islands facing rising sea levels with the threat of evacuation was a suggestion the government of the Marshall Islands seek the technical advice of the government of the Netherlands because that country has had to deal with similar concerns for centuries and been successful in introducing adaptation policies and strategies.
Another comment referenced the super-human efforts needed to be undertaken by the people of the Marshall Islands to raise the height of the various low lying islands and the huge amount of money to do the work envisaged to be vital to the nation’s survival.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
