Adaptation Fund pours over 20 USD million into the Pacific

Adaptation Fund pours over 20 USD million into the Pacific

11 November 2016, UNFCCC COP22, Marrakech, Morocco - Negotiations are now underway at the UN Climate Conference in Marrakech, Morocco to see how the Adaptation Fund can serve the Paris Agreement.
The Adaptation Fund was established under the Kyoto Protocol, it finances projects and programmes to help developing countries adapt to climate change. Since 2010 it has committed USD 357 million in 63 countries, of these five are from the Pacific islands.
The Federated States of Micronesia received a 20,000 USD technical assistance grant, the Cook Islands an approved USD 5.3 million for a five year project that started in 2012, Papua New Guinea an approved USD 6.5 million for a four year project that began in 2012, Samoa an approved USD 8.7 million for a four year project that started in 2013 and Solomon Islands has an approved USD 5.5 million for a four year project which began in 2011.

"For the Pacific, we want to see the Adaptation Fund have a nice transition from the Kyoto Protocol into the Paris Agreement. If you look at the preambles of the Paris Agreement it very clearly states it has to build resilience and help parties adapt to the changes, these are both key issues for the Paris Agreement," said Mr Joe Aitaro of Palau.

Mr Aitaro is following the issue of Climate Finance along with other Pacific colleagues, at the Twenty-second Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP22).

"We don't want to see the Adaptation Fund slowly transition out."

The Adaptation Fund is financed in part by government and private donors. It also receives a 2% share of the proceeds of Certified Emission Reductions (CER) under the Kyoto Protocols Clean Development Mechanism Project yet since the fall of the carbon market in 2011 there is a challenge to its long-term financial sustainability which now relies more on voluntary government contributions.

According to the Climate Funds Update, the sale of the CER's has seen just under 200 USD Million deposited into the Adaptation Fund.

The Certified Emission Reductions stem from the Clean Development Mechanism, two initiatives under the Kyoto Protocol which has completed its first commitment period from 2008 to 2012 and is now awaiting for the second commitment period from 2013 to 2020 to come into force.

Known as the Doha Amendment, the second commitment period has, as of 9 November, 73 Parties that have deposited their instrument of acceptance, this includes eight of the 14 Pacific islands that are a party to the UNFCCC. In all, 144 Parties are needed for it to come into force, without this, there is no legal binding for the 2% input contribution from the CER's.

"We all talk about the need for more funds, but I really think we need to ratify the Doha Amendment because this is a pathway for us to get more funds. If we have more Pacific countries that have ratified this process, we will have that confidence when we negotiate that we're not just asking Parties to commit to something that we ourselves won't commit to," said Mr Aitaro.

"We'll be proud to come out and say we have all ratified the Doha Amendment, as we have done the Paris Agreement, and we really need the Adaptation Fund to transition into the Paris Agreement as it will and does serve us well."

The Adaptation Fund currently has a project pipeline totalling 200 USD million as well as an 80 USD million target for this year alone.

"The Fund has never been more in demand. It is delivering effectively on its mandate and is already serving the operationalisation of the Paris Agreement," said the Chair of the Adaptation Fund Board Mr Naresh Sharma in a speech before COP22 President H.E. Salaheddine Mezouar, Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and a plenary of country and observer group delegations.

"Our pioneering work on Direct Access is a factor leading to the increased demand. It represents a major advance in climate finance, is successfully built upon and replicated by other Funds and is making an essential contribution to national adaptation priorities."

Here in the Pacific islands, over 20 USD Million has come from the Adaptation fund to help communities from the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands address strengthening of resilience to climate change, food security and agriculture, strengthening of resilience of coastal communities and those that are impacted by floods.

The Pacific islands that have Accepted the Kyoto Protocol are the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu, with plans by Vanuatu to Accept in December this year.

The Twenty-second Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC is held in Marrakech, Morocco from 7 to 18 November, 2016. - #4PacIslands

For more information on the Adaptation Fund please visit: https://www.adaptation-fund.org/
For more information on the Doha Amendment please visit: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/doha_amendment/items/7362.php
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Pacific islanders encouraged to help develop IPCC Climate change science reports

11 November, 2016, UNFCCC COP22, Marrakech, Morocco - The call has come for more Pacific island authors and contributors to be part of the science reports released by the Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change.

A special IPCC report on the Impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways is to be released in 2018.

Two other special reports are also to be released in 2019, one on Climate Change, Oceans and the Cryosphere as well as a special report on Climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems.

"We want the author team to be truly representative: I urge delegates to encourage their governments to nominate experts from all relevant disciplines for this assessment, which will be so important for the work of this Convention and related instruments," said the Chair of the IPCC, Hoesung Lee at the Twenty-second Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco.

"It is our ambition to enhance the involvement of scientists from developing countries in our work."

The IPCC is the globally recognised, leading international body when it comes to climate change science. Established in 1988, the IPCC have published a range of scientific climate change reports to help policymakers in their decision making, it is now preparing for its sixth cycle of reports to be finalised in 2022.

The IPCC does not conduct its own research, however it assesses scientific papers as part of developing their reports. All of the science considered must have been published in peer-review scientific journals. Other relevant documents such as official government reports including Needs Assessments may be also considered as well as Traditional knowledge which may be relevant, even if not published in peer-review publications.

Nominations are now open for authors for the 1.5 Special Report, they must be submitted through their IPCC national focal points before 11 December this year.

Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, the Director of the Climate Change Division at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the very first Pacific island female lead author of an IPCC Report. Her focus was Chapter 29 on Small Islands in the Working Group Two report of the IPCC 5th Assessment Report series.

"It is a lot of hard work, long hours that require much dedication and a love for knowledge. It is not everyone's cup of tea but if you are interested, know your stuff, write well and have a neck for research than I encourage you to submit through your IPCC focal point, your nomination to become an author," said Dr Pelesikoti.

"As a Pacific island woman that has experienced, along with family and friends, the impacts of climate change and knowing that the reports provide the scientific, social and economic evidence of climate change impacts which help bring about better decisions for all of us - the hard work, the hours of reading, reviewing and writing, is worth it."

Come end of January next year, the selection of authors for the Special 1.5 IPCC Report will have been made, with the final Government review of the Summary for policymakers to be completed by the end of July in 2018 and the report itself accepted, adopted and approved by the end of September, 2018.

The call for more Pacific island authors is also echoed by Pacific islanders who would like to see more Pacific national capacity contributing to the IPCC reports, which guide decisions both at the national, regional and international levels.

"I think it will be very good to have more authors, especially people that have been working in, and have the knowledge from specific areas related to climate change. It will also be good to have more input into the reports from studies that have not been peer reviewed or even be given the support to have these reports published to allow the IPCC authors to use these resources," said Ms. Pepetua Latasi of the Tuvalu delegation at the UNFCCC COP22.

The Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC is still at the scoping stage to help develop the draft outline of the Report.

"I think we need to encourage our local scientists to participate in these assessments. Our very own people have collected much data. I hope they are also involved in the analysing of this and contribute more to these scientific reports," said Mr Andrew Yatilman of the delegation from the Federated States of Micronesia.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly. As an organisation, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for its work on climate change with the former US Vice-President Al Gore.

For more information of how you can be involved with the coming IPCC reports, please contact your IPCC national focal point or visit http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm - #4PacIslands
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“Living with Change” – Tokelau attends the UN Climate Conference

11 November 2016, UNFCCC COP22, Marrakech, Morocco - Plans to launch 'Living with Change: Enhancing the Resilience of Tokelau to climate change and related hazards, 2017-2030' (LivC), early next year, is on the table for the island atoll which has delegates attending the twenty-second Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakech, Morocco (UNFCCC COP22) as part of the New Zealand delegation.

Ms. Paula Faiva the Climate Change Manager and Mr. Penehuro Lefale, Senior Advisor, Climate Change, are here not only as part of the New Zealand delegation but they are also here to support and work alongside with the rest of the Pacific family attending COP22.

"We also want to make sure that our own national climate change and development priorities are taken into account by the international community, even though we are not a party to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement due to our political status," said Ms. Faiva.

Climate change is a priority for Tokelau, a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand which consists of three small coral atolls – Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo that are three to five metres about sea level. Its total exclusive economic zone is approximately 300,000km2 and it has a population of approximately 1,499 in the latest census just completed last month.

"Climate change is a huge challenge for Tokelau, we have identified it as a key constraint to our development, thus we have to pro-actively address it in our development plans. We have a lot to lose and being here at the COP22 is a good opportunity for us to let the world know that when they are making decisions, they need to be aware of us, the people on the front lines," said Ms. Faiva.

For the past three months, Tokelau has undergone a strong consultation process as part of developing its LivC Strategy. Undertaking a collective approach to ensure inputs from all community members of all ages, it will be launched next year once final endorsement has been made.

The vision of the LivC Strategy is for Tokelau to be a climate resilient and ready nation, with healthy ecosystems, communities, and economies that are resilient in the face of change. The LivC identifies three inter-related strategic Climate Resilient Investment Pathways (CRIP) that need to be supported and pursued by Tokelau and her development partners, working in partnership, in order to enhance her resilience and readiness to climate change and related hazards, and in the context of national sustainable development. The three CRIPs are: 1 Mitigation: Decarbonisation development, 2. Adaptation: strengthened integrated risk reduction and enhanced climate change and disaster resilience; and 3. Human Development.

Tokelau boasts at least 90% renewable energy sources for the island atolls electricity, having achieved this historical milestone in 2012, being the first in the world to do so.

In 2014 approximately 250 homes in the villages of the three atolls received new water tanks and a community tank, or had their current water tanks repaired as part of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Plus Project (PACC+). This came after a drought in 2011 in which Tokelau rationed water for a month after 75% of households had no water and communal tanks with only 30% capacity if unsafe water remaining.
Having completed a situational analysis, the LivC Strategy will help guide future climate change developments in order for Tokelau to become a climate resilient and ready nation.

"We learnt from our elders that our traditional knowledge is changing as our climate changes, a lot of our species have disappeared and erosion is such a big issue in Tokelau with the sea level rise. We have to address all of these and achieve our vision of being a resilient nation that is prepared for what may come." - #4PacIslands

The UNFCCC COP22 is held in Marrakech, Morocco from 7 to 18 November, 2016. For further information on COP22 please visit: http://unfccc.int/2860.php
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Nanette Woonton | Media and Public Relations Officer

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