CLIMATE CHANGES AFFECTING PACIFIC ISLANDS
By Craig DeSilva
HONOLULU Hawai‘i (June 27, 2000 - PIDP/CPIS)---Small, isolated
Pacific Islands have always been vulnerable to global climate
changes and weather phenomena.
Although weather forecasters can make broad predictions, it’s
difficult to pinpoint exactly when or where a typhoon or
hurricane will hit.
But Pacific Island countries and territories can prepare
themselves in advance to minimize disastrous effects during
weather-changing periods.
"By anticipating in advance, you can take some preparatory
action," said Eileen Shea, an adjunct fellow of environmental
studies at the East-West Center. "I think all of the Pacific
Island nations are looking at adapting to climate change as well
as reducing greenhouse gases."
Shea will give a talk Wednesday at the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel on
the Big Island of Hawai‘i on "Consequences of Climate Change:
Challenges and Opportunities for Pacific Islands and Hawai‘i."
Shea said Pacific Islands that are alerted to major global
climate changes can prepare themselves in advance. For example,
regarding the 1997-98 El Niño in the Pacific, the Federated
States of Micronesia formed a drought task force before it
occurred.
The FSM also developed a public awareness campaign to alert the
general population to minimize the effects of the drought.
"Water conservations measures were instituted earlier rather than
later," Shea said.
In the Republic of Palau, a decision was made to extend the
height and width of the main island’s principle dam prior to the
wet season so it could hold as much rainfall as possible before
drought set in.
Shea is also the Climate Project Coordinator at the East-West
Center. The EWC’s Pacific Islands Regional Assessment program is
made up of scientists, researchers, and other officials from the
United States and Pacific Islands who are working to deal with
climate change issues throughout the Pacific.
The one-year program is being conducted in conjunction with the
Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which is
looking into climate change. Shea said the Pacific Islands
community will have an opportunity through public hearings to
present input on a just released draft report entitled
"Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential
Consequences of Climate Variability and Change." The public
hearings end in August.
Shea said although rising sea levels have been a constant issue
facing the Pacific, there are other climate changes that have
just as important implications.
"For a variety of reasons, sea-level rise has had a hammerlock on
discussions of vulnerability to climate change," Shea said. "What
we’re trying to do is expand our thinking to address other issues
beyond sea level."
Some of the climate issues posing a threat to the Pacific
include:
· Increase in air temperature, which can possibly increase
the intensity of El Niños;
· Changes and increased intensity in tropical cyclone
patterns as a result of global warming;
· Changes in ocean circulation patterns and temperatures,
which affect fish stock in the Pacific. Some fish in the Pacific,
such as tuna, tend to follow warmer water. "If El Niños are more
frequent, tuna migratory patterns will change," she said. "That
has significant impacts because that means they can move in and
out of a nation’s jurisdiction. And that’s quite significant
particularly for (Pacific) jurisdictions that might be thinking
tuna fisheries are an economic source in the future."
· Warming of ocean temperatures impacting coral reefs. "The
1997-98 El Niño saw substantial bleaching of coral reefs around
the Pacific," Shea said. "They were much more severe than in the
past. That could lead to secondary impacts on surrounding
ecosystems and tourism."
"The islands that are most vulnerable are the low-lying atolls,"
she said. "Any island that doesn’t have mountainous relief is
problematic. And it varies across the Pacific. Some islands are
tectonically growing, such as the Big Island of Hawaii. But
others are actually sinking because of tectonics."
Shea adds a recent study shows that the Pacific is experiencing
the same average rate of rising sea levels as the rest of the
world.
"They’re not seeing an enhancement in sea-level rise any more
than (elsewhere) in the world," she said. "The sea-level rise
issue is a long-term issue, (one) of whether you’re going to have
an island, because it (may) be covered over."
SOURCE: Pacific Islands Report
****************************************************************
To post a submission by email at climate-newswire@sidsnet.org
To unsubscribe, email to majordomo@sidsnet.org with the message:
unsubscribe climate-newswire
To receive updates via email, send an email to majordomo@sidsnet.org with the message:
subscribe climate-newswire
No SUBJECTS required either case.
Brought to you on the SMALL Island Developing States Network: http://www.sidsnet.org
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jun 28 2000 - 13:34:07 EDT