- English
The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are highly vulnerable to climate change and sea- level rise and often experience extremely damaging climate-related events (tropical cyclones, droughts, floods, etc.). Their heavy reliance on the productivity of one or two economic sectors (fisheries, tourism, etc.) that are highly sensitive to climate and external global pressures (fluctuations in demand for export commodities, flow of capital, etc.) exacerbates their vulnerability further. Adaptation to climate change and integration of pragmatic adaptation policies in national development planning is, therefore, crucial.
The natural ecosystems and the people of the Pacific are inherently resilient and developed mechanisms to cope with the major changes in natural, social and economic conditions in the past. Ironically, these countries contribute least to the problem of climate change but they are expected to suffer the most, and need to adapt faster than others. Current adaptive capacity, however, may be inadequate to address the timing and magnitude of impacts suggested by some projections of climate change. The overriding priority need for the PICs is for enhancing the capabilities of communities, governments, businesses and civil society to respond to the challenges presented by climate change including the transfer and assimilation of technologies that support adaptive responses to climate change. However, currently there is inadequate understanding as to the most appropriate adaptation response strategies, let alone the most appropriate ways and timetables for implementing them.
The International workshop on “Facilitating Adaptation to Climate Change in the South Pacific Region – Bridging Research, Policy and Implementation” provided a forum for frank discussions in an informal setting on various issues including climate scenarios and implications, climate change impacts, local coping strategies, national adaptation policies, and approaches for mainstreaming climate change adaptation in development planning. A discussion to prioritize needs and challenges for the region was facilitated. A half-day session on exploring opportunities for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in the region was also held subsequent to the adaptation workshop.
The workshop brought together 56 people from 18 countries including 12 South Pacific [American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu] and 6 others [Australia, Denmark, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and USA]). The participants included policy makers, senior and middle-level managers of national governments engaged in adaptation/CDM, researchers from universities (Ibaraki University, University of the South Pacific, University of Waikato) and other scientific institutions (NIWA, East-West Center), representatives from two inter-governmental (SPREP, SOPAC) and two international (UNDP, UNEP) organizations, and officials from two development aid agencies (JICA, AusAID) and two international NGOs (WWF, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies).
There was consensus among the participants that adaptation to climate change is of high priority in the region. The adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise were already being felt in several countries, and current and future impacts would be especially severe in the water resources sector, which in turn has wide implications on the other sectors of the economy including tourism. Facilitating proactive adaptation at the community and local level was considered crucial besides international assistance and national adaptation policies. The participants recognized that future efforts in adaptation should involve the civil society more proactively than before.
- English
