Escalating risks of reef damage and rising sea levels
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme is calling for swift, concentrated and global action to respond to the escalating risks such as reef damage and rising sea levels.
Transcript
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme is calling for swift, concentrated and global action to respond to the escalating risks such as reef damage and rising sea levels.
This comes after a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints a stark picture of extreme challenges facing the planet from climate change.
Jenny Meyer reports.
The head of SPREP, David Sheppard, says scientists warn of irreversible impact from global warming.
DAVID SHEPPARD: The scientists indicate that a temperature increase globally of between 1.5-2.0 degrees will create major stress on coral reefs. And in fact the figures that are predicted through the IPCC are much greater than that. So obviously in the Pacific with the dependence of Pacific communities on the coral reef, on the marine and coastal ecosystems, these are major challenges.
A lecturer at the University of the South Pacific says the report signals increasing pressure on communities to migrate from low lying parts as villages become inundated by rising sea levels. Dr Keith Morrison says nations are responding in different ways to the effects of climate change but frequent flooding from high tides means many have moved already.
KEITH MORRISON: The unusually high tides, the unusually bad weather is becoming more common. So people's sort of resistance or resilience to be able to cope with this is sort of wearing down. It reaches a point they're thinking 'well perhaps it's better just to go somewhere else.' So they're at that point now where people are beginning to think 'yes, we're not going to keep putting up with this'.
He says some countries are more prepared to migrate than others.
KEITH MORRISON: Tuvalu is prepared to do that. Kiribati is taking the opposite view, their view is 'we will work out some way of staying here'. But Tuvalu has more got the idea 'we will plan to migrate'. In Fiji there are villages now which have already migrated internally within Fiji. Some of that has been unplanned and it's not been successful.
Dr Morrison says more research is being done at the USP into the social aspects of how people can adapt to accelerating climate change. SPREP's David Sheppard says it is important for countries in the region to build on their traditional customary approaches to manage land and water resources but global help is needed.
DAVID SHEPPARD: The key message is the importance of focussed accelerated action to develop adaptation strategies at all levels, from policy legal level down to the field level. And for this we need the support of the international community.
The Marshall Islands Foreign Minister, Tony de Brum, says 40 national representatives met for the Cartagena Dialogue this week to galvanise plans ahead of the United Nations climate summit in September. He says many are surprised by sea flooded roads and dried out crops on Majuro atoll. He says the latest IPCC report is a wake up call for everyone.
TONY DE BRUM: Finally there should not be any question as to the science behind climate change, and the acceptance of what must be done to protect and preserve vulnerable countries from its impact.
Tony de Brum says the report serves as a useful platform for more ambitious targets that can be set and argued for in upcoming international meetings.
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