I will not leave the lands of my ancestors! I will not abandon my motherland! I refuse to leave the only place I call home!” These were the words of 21-year-old youth and future leader of Kiribati, Ms. Tabitha Awerika, at a side event organised by the Coalition of Atoll Nations on Climate Change (CAN-CC), […]
Category: Micronesia
Pacific island nations at the climate talks: Leave no one behind
Describing climate change as one of the greatest threats to their survival, leaders of the sinking countries in the Pacific region urged the international community at the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to urgently act and avert climate crisis. “ We are clearly on the frontline of climate change. They are realities for countries in […]
Climate fuelled disasters forcing more than 20 million people a year from their homes
Climate fuelled disasters were the number one driver of displacement within countries over the last decade, forcing more than 20 million people to leave their homes each year, Oxfam said today. The contentious issue of financial support for communities that have suffered loss and damage as a result of the climate crisis, including people who […]
Climate change is a factor in turning to China for some Pacific nations
This month, the Trump administration formally began the yearlong process of pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It will be the first and only country to quit the 200-nation deal to combat climate change. That’s a big concern for some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, including the small island nations […]
SPC and GIZ sign agreement to support NDC hub
The Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contributions Hub (NDC Hub) was launched in 2017 as a response to calls from Pacific Island Countries (PICs) for a regional platform to support them in implementing, enhancing and financing their national climate commitments made under the Paris Agreement (CoP 21). Through the NDC Hub, a team of experts from […]
Dumped fishing gear is biggest plastic polluter in ocean
Lost and abandoned fishing gear which is deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to a report by Greenpeace. More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year, the same weight as […]
Suspension of COP25 highlights injustice says Pacific NGOs
The Chilean Government has announced the suspension of the UN Climate Summit (COP25), scheduled to take place in Santiago this December, due to the social demonstrations protesting rising costs, debt and inequality, and marred by heavy-handed arrests from state forces in the past weeks. 350.org Pacific Regional Managing Director, Fenton Lutunatabua issued the following statement: […]
Vanuatu develops drought-resistant crops in response to climate change
Sweet potato is a stable food for over 70 percent of the Vanuatu population, most from rural areas – where they depend on traditional agriculture to provide for their dietary needs and income. According to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, root crops such as yam, taro, manioc, sweet potato are fundamental to the diet […]
Satellite technologies and the fight against illegal fishing in Easter Island
Easter Island is best known for its mysterious Moai statues, which dominate part of the hilly coastline and stare at the horizon like ancient watchmen of the once bountiful ocean. Just beyond the reach of their gaze lies a large stretch of open water, known as the high seas, that provides a vital spawning ground […]
Landlocked islanders
The amount of water is incomprehensible. We’ve been flying for hours, and just when we’re about as far from a landmass as you can possibly get—a spot where the curving, wave-flecked Pacific Ocean stretches thousands of kilometers in every direction—an island slides into view. It’s no more than a snippet of sand and palm trees, […]