SPREP News Early Dec 2011

Headlines
• Niue urges world leaders to leave legacy of action at climate conference
• “Pacific Climate Futures” launched in Durban
• Pacific at COP17: Nauru President calls for bold action
• PACC countries grateful to donors

More news and images from the UNFCCC COP 17 in Durban are available at www.climatepasifika.blogspot.com

Personal accounts from the Pacific delegation to the UNFCCC COP 17 in Durban are available at www.climatepasifika.blogspot.com

Niue urges world leaders to leave legacy of action at climate conference
Durban, South Africa, 7 December –

"I find it appalling, really appalling that we can't make a political decision on these matters, it's a dreadful lack of understanding of our legacy as world leaders at this moment, particularly the large countries."- Hon. Toke Talagi, Premiere of Niue

From the Rock of Polynesia to the Cradle of Humanity, the Premier of Niue has traveled far to present a firm message at the UN Climate Conference in Durban, South Africa

Niue is a large upraised coral atoll in the Pacific that is home to less than 1,500 residents in 14 different village communities. For the people of Niue, like many other communities in Small Islands Developing States, the impacts of climate change are real and they are being felt now.

In 2004, Niue was struck by category 5 Cyclone Heta that caused major damage to infrastructure and agriculture estimated at NZD 37.7 million, which is close to three times the value of Niue's GDP, highlighting Niue's economic vulnerability to climate change.

"The politics of climate change is broken into three parts," said the Premier of Niue, Hon. Toke Talagi.

"One is to do with the risk assessment of the information being given to us from scientists and whether it is perceived as low, medium or high. The second is in relation to risk assessment in terms of funding and the third is to do with the legacy of us Leaders at the moment with our respect to make decisions on climate change, or not."

The Premier feels that some of the developed countries view the risk assessment as medium allowing for more time to continue the negotiations, whereas others view the risk assessment as high. It is this inability to agree that delays an outcome, continuing to disagree while the climate change problem grows worse and "nothing is done."

The Alliance of Small Islands States has called for a Durban mandate to negotiate a new protocol under the climate convention by 2012 with ambitious mitigation goals consistent with holding warming below 1.5 degrees Celcius.

The new Protocol must include ambitious quantitative, national economy wide, legally binding targets for the developed countries not presently Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. It also means increasing the level of mitigation ambition by developing countries according to their different levels of capability and responsibility.

"We are the current cabinet of World Leaders, the legacy that we are leaving behind at this moment is the inability to make decisions that will enable us to respond to climate change and take collective action. We are not doing that therefore our legacy is unfortunately that we did nothing."

To view all speeches made by Pacific Leaders and Ministers during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to the Framework on Climate Change please visit: https://unfccc.int/meetings/durban_nov_2011/statements/items/6584.php

"Pacific Climate Futures" launched in Durban
Durban, South Africa, 6 December - The UN Climate Change Conference in South Africa was the backdrop for the launch of two new landmark resources that have a crucial role for the Pacific region.

The report Climate Change in the Pacific: Scientific Assessment and New Research as well as the web-based projections tool, Pacific Climate Futures were the focus of a side event featuring the Hon. Greg Combet AM MP, the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency as well as the Vice Minister for Forestry and Climate Change from Papua New Guinea, Hon. Ronald Asik.

It was a full house for the special event that was a partnership between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Climate Change Science Program.

"As a minister, I am aware how important it is that scientific research is relevant to policy and provides useful information to assist decision-making," presented Hon. Greg Combat during his opening statement.

"I am confident that this new research and accompanying information tools will be invaluable resources for climate scientists, communities and decision-makers in the Pacific to inform vulnerability analysis and priority setting and build resilience to future climate change."

The newly launched reports can be found at http://www.pacificclimatefutures.net/

"The importance of having a high credibility of science in our reports is clear, this is prominent in these newly launched materials." said the Director-General of SPREP, Mr. David Sheppard.

"The role of partnerships and cooperation is significant to help us provide such important materials to help guide our climate change work in the region. We are appreciative of our partnerships that helped bring together and produce such extensive scientific reports."

Australia has committed $328 million over five years to the Australian International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative with a key focus on least developed countries and Small Island Developing States.

Also featured during the side event were Scott Power, the Senior Principal Research Scientist and Research Manager of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology as well as several Pacific island experts who have used the reports to help guide their work; Mr. Salesa Kaniaha the Manager of Climate Services of the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazard Department and Ms Rossylynn Pulehetoa-Mitiepo, Coordinator of the Niue Climate Change Project, Department of Meteorology and Climate Change.

We'll be bringing you more news on their presentations over the coming week.

There are two volumes to the Climate Change in the Pacific: Scientific Assessment and New Research. Volume 1 is a Regional Overview which provides an analysis of large-scale climate phenomena such as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, seasonal variability and past climate trends and further develops regional climate change projections.

PACIFIC AT COP17: Nauru President calls for bold action
Durban, South Africa, 6 December 2011 - The Pacific nations did not come to Durban to fail.

This was the assertion made by the President of Nauru, H.E. Mr Sprent Dabwido, at the opening plenary of the High Level Segment of United Nations Climate Change Conference today in Durban, South Africa.

President Dabwido was speaking on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), an informal grouping represented at the United Nations that includes Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

"Our conversation about climate change, and the challenge that addressing this growing crisis entails, has entered its third decade," said President Dabwido.

"This audience is certainly aware of the worst consequences of inaction, though they are still worth repeating, so that we do not forget the magnitude of the task before us."

Some 20,000 delegates, including seasoned international climate change negotiators from across the globe are in Durban this week for the UN Climate Change Conference. Outlooks have been mixed as negotiators stand their ground on key climate change issues.

"I am from the Pacific, and the 14 island nations in our group are often said to be on the "frontlines" of this struggle," said President Dabwido.

"The combat metaphor is apt, because it is not an exaggeration to say that climate change is, for us, a matter of life and death."

President Dabwido highlighted the plight of communities in Pacific islands that have been forced to flee their homes to escape rising seas.

"Unless bold action is taken, much of my region could be rendered uninhabitable within our grandchildren's lifetimes."

President Dabwido's plea to COP17 was to firstly refocus the negotiations on mitigation and immediately begin a process to ratchet up the ambition of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that ensures the viability and survival of all nations.

"Next, we must have a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with an enhanced set of rules to strengthen its environmental integrity" said President Dabwido. "Some may think we have the luxury of waiting until we build a new regime. We do not. The Pacific most certainly does not."

President Dabwido also called for a "Durban Mandate" for a new, legally binding protocol to complement Kyoto, with binding mitigation commitments for non-Kyoto Parties and mitigation actions for developing countries, as well as the conclusion of all other elements of the Bali Action Plan.

"Along-side these three key priorities, we must complete the work begun in Cancun, notably the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Committee, and the work programme on loss and damage."

The UN Climate Change Conference concludes this Friday with high hopes for ongoing political momentum and concrete outcomes around climate change mitigation, adaptation and financing.

PACC Countries Grateful to Donors

Durban, South Africa, 5 December 2011 - "We are very grateful to the Global Environment Facility, the Australian Government, the United Nations Development Programme and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme for the support that has especially been provided for the PACC Project."

Speaking at the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Side Event during the 17th Conference of Parties in Durban, South Africa, the Minister of Environment for Tuvalu Hon. Apisai Ielemia expressed gratitude on behalf of his country and the Pacific region for the support given by the agencies in helping them adapt to the impacts of climate change.

"For us in the Pacific, the Small Island Developing States, climate change is strongly undermining our social and economic state, climate change threatens our source of livelihood and our very existence.

"The PACC funding comes from the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) of the GEF and it has helped the Pacific region move from assessments to capacity development and above all actual implementation on the ground."

Tonga PACC National Coordinator Mr Paula Taufa said that through the PACC Project, the Hihifo community are able to address many of the challenges faced in their Water Resource Sector.

"With the PACC Project the reliability of the water supply will be significantly improved in six villages, the leakage ratio in pipelines will be reduced from the current 30-40 percentage range to 15 percentages, the salinity of underground water will be addressed and the efficiency of distribution of water will increased through this PACC Project.

"The adaptive capacity of the community will also increase and overall the water sector becomes more resilient to climate change."

In the Solomon Islands, the PACC pilot site community has shown appreciation towards the options made available to them after consultation.

"In terms of food security, the community can identify problems and solutions to be implemented with the communities and climate change policy has been developed which has helped improve coordination of the project," said Mr. Casper Supa, the National Coordinator from the Solomon Islands.

The National Management Unit in the Solomon Islands is using PACC to develop a longer term strategic and programmatic Vulnerability and Adaptation Plan for low lying atolls, and the lessons learnt contribute to the development of the national policy.

The Regional Project Management Unit continues to welcome other donors to use the PACC framework already in place in the member countries to carry out actual adaptation work on the ground.

"We have under the project fourteen Pacific Island Countries who are very new to the system, but we are building their capacity to take over the role of coordinating climate change adaptation efforts in their countries," said Taito Nakalevu the PACC Project Manager.

"We have the PACC Project Framework to be able to deliver adaptation right down to the community level under the GEF UNDP funding and with AusAID now on board, and there are other donors that are welcomed to use this framework to carry out actual adaptation work on the ground."

The PACC Project is implemented by UNDP in partnership with SPREP. It is funded by GEF and AusAID with support from the United Nations Institute of Training and Research.

ENDS

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