We are not drowning, we are fighting!

"If we save Tuvalu, we save the world" -  Enele Sosense Sopoaga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu

 Improvements have been made regarding global warming and climate change, yet, I still remain  pessimistic about the future these beautiful islands have. After investigating the situation in the Pacific; broadening my knowledge and learning about the problems, the above statement by Enele is one I strongly believe in. I've learnt, if the global community is able to save the most at risk, we are collectively taking great steps towards saving our own future.

Figure 1:  A Tuvuluan girl displaying a very sad message which could become a reality - Source: Pinterest

Distinct chapters have gradually evolved throughout my blog. By assessing global climate bureaucracy, identifying the main threats to the Pacific and then analysing the arising environmental, social and economic consequences has allowed me to develop a more holistic awareness of the situation, enhancing my previous knowledge. I've concluded stern and drastic top down global intervention is necessary to rescue the Pacific, as I believe bottom up approaches aren't influential enough.

The opportunity to explore a variety of topics is something I have thoroughly enjoyed and has prompted a renewed impetus towards my ambitions to help "change the world", something which has been significantly hampered by two years of intense work.

Figure 2: Word cloud highlighting the most used words throughout my blog 

Throughout my blogs I have emphasised the ongoing awareness campaigns and mitigation techniques enforced by Pacific Islanders. I feel one initiative epitomises the approach of the region regarding their reasons to protect their islands; The Palau Pledge.

Figure 3: The Palau Pledge - Source: https://www.palaupledge.com/

Video 1: Why the reasons as to why the children of Palau have written the pledge help protect their home

I thank you for your interest and I hope I have spurred an interest into the Pacific's unique situation. I'll leave you with one more quote which I feel encompasses and reflects my blog. 

"Our message is simple; if one of the world's smallest, poorest and most geographically isolated countries can do it, so can you" - Tony de Brum, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Marshall Islands 

Its really is hard to imagine

"Climate change, in some regions, has aggravated conflict over scarce land, and could well trigger large scale migration in the decades ahead" - Ban Ki-moon, Ex secretary general of UN 

Its Christmas eve, but I find myself writing about a truly saddening and unsettling issue; climate induced migration. 

Figure 1: Cartoon depicting climate change migration - Source: Chris Madden

The situation in the Pacific has become so extreme in the past decade, many Islanders across the region have been forced into migration to other safer regions. The process remains highly debated, with many islanders preferring to stay and voice their concerns further.

Figure 2: The Carterets people are often referred to as the first climate change refuges 

Pacific migration 

Migration between islands in the Pacific is a long-standing norm, however the idea of forced migration to another country is exacerbated by the strong link between land and culture in Pacific societies.

Some Pacific nations like Kiribati have bought swaths of land in neighbouring less at-risk Pacific nations.  While less at risk Pacific nations claim they would accept migrants from more at risk islands

Australia and New Zealand

The nations are the most developed in Oceania and are the least at risk from climate change induced problems, however they are reluctant to allow Pacific island migration, especially Australia.  While, New Zealand's accountability for "climate refuges" has been tested in court, but rejected.

Figure 3:  A table displaying the number of Pacific immigrants in Australia compared to the population in their own country - Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 

Studies suggest allowing 1% of the Pacific's population to work permanently in Australia would be of greater benefit to the Pacific people by 2040 than all of Australia's aid.

Figure 4: Click the link to view this super cool interactive table about migration of Pacific immigrants in Australia - Source: Berkelmans and Pryke, 2016

Problems with migration

1.  The financial implications of migration are substantial, especially when large numbers of people live in poverty in the Pacific.

2. Changes to culture, tradition and social structure

3. Legal problems - A post on the LSE human rights blog writes about the legal battle climate refuges face

Figure 5: Graph displaying the factors influencing migration after cyclone Pam - Source: Taupo & Noy, 2016   

It's not all bad news!

The island of Niue has a population of 1,500, but an estimated 5,500 Niuean's live in New Zealand and therefore see themselves as the sole trustees of Niue's 'Taoga' tradition.

Warm waters project

Water warms is a project  through which photography is used to investigate the effects of climate change in the Pacific. I feel it's a project which really puts this dilemma into perspective.

Video 1: Displays a number of harrowing images and videos from warm waters to emphasis the extent of the problem to those readers that aren't convinced by its severity 

Wells

Losing Nemo & gaining weight

"The ocean is like a checking account where everybody withdraws but nobody makes a deposit. This is what's happening because of overfishing" Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer

Term has finished, Christmas holidays have started, yet I still have copious amounts of work and the uphill battle for decent night's sleep continues. In today's post, I thought I would combine my previous posts to highlight a serious problem in the Pacific Islands; Food security.

Figure 1: Cartoon depicting one of the oceans modern day problems - Source: Seppo Leinonen 

Climate change across the Pacific Islands is very detrimental to the regions food supply and a dramatic shift has been identified from traditional diets to more refined factory-made foods. This is exacerbated by the Pacific islands facing a two-fold development dilemma, meeting national development goals, whilst protecting the environment.

What has caused this shift?

1.  Increasing global temperatures has resulted in coral reef degradation through coral bleaching and ocean acidification which has affected fish populations, particularly reef fish, as coral reefs are now unable to supply the 35kg of fish per year needed for good nutrition.

Video 1: Explains the coral bleaching process and effects

Video 2: Explains ocean acidification and its consequences

2. Rising sea levels have caused extreme weather events affecting agriculture tremendously, by reducing the amount of land available for agriculture. This has forced people away from local grown food towards a reliance on imported produce.

3. Overfishing has reduced fish stocks in the Pacific forcing islanders to adapt from traditional fish dominated diets.  Pacific tuna fisheries alone are worth approximately $4.1 billion USD annually, adding significantly to the regions GDP, highlighting its importance regarding regional development. 

Figure 2: Check out the Global Fishing Watch to view all of the fishing boat activity for the previous year (It's pretty cool!)

4. Warming oceans have caused a change in the demographics of the regions fisheries creating smaller equatorial fisheries

Figure 3: Warming oceans are reshaping fisheries as marine species are gradually moving from equatorial regions towards cooler sub equatorial waters - Source: Chueng, Watson and Pauly 2013

The consequences

1. The transition from traditional diets to imported refined fast food diets has resulted in an obesity epidemic within the region. Simultaneously causing other health implications including non-communicable diseases (NCD).

Figure 4: Top 10 most obese nations in the world, 9 of which are Pacific Islands - Source: Clinic Compare

Figure 5: Obesity of other nations in the world for a comparison - Source: Clinic Compare

Obesity has been cited as the main reason behind the rise in diabetes in the region. 

Figure 6: Diabetes in the Pacific Islands - Source: International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas 

Video 3: Video highlighting the obesity epidemic in the Cook Islands and what the nation is doing about the problem

NCD's are a serious threat to the region accounting for 60-80% of all deaths. Nations such as Palau suffer from other NCD's including cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease as a result of obesity.

Mitigation techniques

1. The development of marine reserves are used to sustainably develop fisheries in a controlled way, whilst supporting other marine biodiversity.

Video 4: The nation of Niue in the South Pacific recently established the largest marine protected area ever, this vide explains the reasons behind it.

Figure 7: Map displaying the world's largest marine reserve in Niue encompassing 127,869 sqkm - Source: UNDP

2.  Banning commercial fishing and restricted specific fishing equipment in there waters to help sustainably rejuvenate fisheries.

Video 5: Video talking about Kiribati's decision to ban fishing in the Phoenix Islands protected area to help protect global tuna stocks

Figure 8: A schematic displaying sea cucumber management in the Pacific - Source: Purcell, Lovatelli, Pakoa, 2014

3. Pacific Islands have identified fishery management as a productive way to improve their fish stocks particularly in rural areas

Video 6: Video on community based fisheries management in the Solomon Islands and how successful implementing management schemes such as Fish Aggregating devices and Marine Protected areas have been there.

4.  Increasing taxes on sugary imports and applied tariffs to healthier foods to encourage natives to source local products.

The future 

Pristine Seas is the largest environmental preservation project run by the National Geographic. It aims to protect and manage marine environments in a sustainable way.

Video 7: Video highlighting the exceptional work by Pristine Seas has done

Overall this post explains how climate change is having a detrimental effect on the health of Islanders, highlighting how it effects far more than just the environment and how numerous problems are intertwined.


Wells

Save our corals!

"If you get people diving on a coral reef, they're going to become more respectful of the outdoors and more concerned with the threats that place faces" - Tim Cahill, Australian Athlete

One of the best things I did on my gap year was learn to dive; breathing underwater and being surrounded by a vast array of organisms in a coral reef is an unforgettable experience. However global warming is making these environments a rarity.

Figure 1: Cartoon displaying the effects of increased sea temperatures on the underwater environment - Source: Steve Sack

What causes coral bleaching and ocean acidification?

The ocean has absorbed approximately 30% of all carbon dioxide released by anthropogenic activity since 1800's. The uptake of co2 decreases the ph of ocean water as it is converted to carbonic acid, placing coral reefs at extreme risk. Reef building corals and calcifying algae use carbonate to produce the calcium carbonate skeletons which build the reefs. Hydrogen ions released by carbonic acid bind to calcium carbonate, decreasing its concentration and form bicarbonate changing the ocean chemistry affecting the process of calcification, consequently affecting coral reef growth. 

Ocean acidification also effects crucial reef building animals through weakening their calcium carbonate shells, and changes ecosystem dynamics. Furthermore, ocean acidification is reported to a bleaching agent for corals.

Video 1: Dr. Triona McGrath explains how the oceans are changing due to ocean acidification and how it will impact the marine life 

 Coral bleaching is mainly caused by warmer ocean temperatures. When water is too warm, corals expel zooxanthellae causing them to turn completely white. Upon bleaching, the coral isn't necessarily dead, but it is under more stress and is more likely to die.  Mass coral bleaching events are directly related to my previous post about the El Niño-Southern Oscillation event.

Video 1: Explains the process of coral bleaching in more depth

Figure 2: Table highlighting the effects of many Climate variables and their influence on coral bleaching, specifically reiterating my point about ENSO  - Source: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authorities

Video 2: 360-degree video showing the extent of coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef - Source: Climate Central 

Ocean acidification and Pacific reefs

Ocean acidification is extremely far reaching and effects many aspects of the environment; corals being one of them. By 2034, a 5% decrease in calcification is predicted for all reefs as a result of decreases in ph of 0.06 units per decade in the tropical Pacific. Ocean acidification is predicted to have important socioeconomic and ecological implications for the region including damage to fisheries, tourism and ecosystems.

Coral bleaching globally and the pacific

Coral bleaching is becoming a more frequent occurrence and now more than 70% of coral reefs globally have experienced heat stress potentially leading to bleaching or mortality. 

Figure 4: Map highlighting all the coral bleaching events globally between 1979 and 2010 - Source: Chumkiew, Jaroensutasinee and Jaroensutasinee, 2011

Video 3: Displays the severity of coral bleaching globally

The Pacific Ocean's temperature has increased by 0.31 degrees since the 1950s. Currently, 50% of Pacific reefs are classified as threatened and 20% were highly threatened. This figure is due to rise to 90% by 2030. By geographic region, the eastern pacific region has experienced the most bleaching, while Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesian reefs the least. Furthermore, bleaching events are projected to become more frequent in the future, with prediction suggesting, they could occur annually in Micronesia by 2040.

Figure 5: Highlights the extent of bleaching in the pacific between the 9th of November and today! - Source: NOAA

Figure 6: The current threat to coral reefs in the Pacific region - Source:  Status on Coral Reefs of the Pacific and Outlook 2011

The Coral Triangle

The Western Pacific is known as the 'Coral Triangle' which comprises of the Solomon Islands, Papua NewGuinea, Timor Leste and several Asian countries. The region is a marine biodiversity hotspot containing 75% of all known coral species and provides shelter for 40% of the world's reef fish.

Figure 7: Map of the Coral Triangle - Source: Hossain et al., 2016

Figure 8: Coral Triangle atlas interactive map! Very interesting tool, please have a play! - Source:http://ctatlas.reefbase.org/atlas/default.aspx?layers=8,68,24&zoom=4&lat=7.46260404298648&lng=125.86914062500001&maptype=terrain

The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI)

The CTI is a multilateral agreement among six nations to protect a global biodiversity hotspot regarding its coral reefs, fisheries and food security . The region is approximately 5.7 million Km² and directly supports the livelihoods and food security of 100 million people. Additionally, commercial fisheries alone provide USD 3 billion annually to the regional economies, highlighting its great importance.

Figure 9: Map displaying all 612 marine protected areas within the Coral Triangle - Source: Venegas-Li et al 2016

Figure 10: Goals and targets of the Coral Triangle Initiative, many of which will improve the effects of social issues caused by global warming in the Pacific Islands involved - Source: Berdej, Andrachuk and Armitage, 2015

Why is coral so important?

1.  Reefs only make-up 1% of the world's marine environments, but they provide a home for 25% of marine species 
2.  A decrease in the number of coral reefs saw over 75% of reef fish species decline, 50% of which decreased to less than half of their original number
3. Pacific islands have a strong dependence on fishing with fish being an important source of protein
4. Coral reefs reduce wave energy by 97% which would otherwise impact the shoreline
5. Provide substantial economic benefit through tourism and exports
6. Medicinal purposes

Mitigation techniques

A number of techniques have been developed to reduce the effects of coral bleaching 

• Shading of coral
• Connecting coral reefs 
• Building coral tolerance to bleaching
• Marine protected areas 
• 3D printed corals
• Microfragmentation

Figure 11: Diagram displaying coral bleaching mitigation techniques, many of which, particularly the "support human adaptive capacity" and "protect resistance" sections relate directly to the goals of the coral triangle initiative - Source: NOAA

Corals reefs in the Pacific are extremely important to everyday life, through providing sustenance, economic benefits and protection. Our moral obligation as global citizens to protect planet provide further reasoning as to why we should protect these natural phenomena globally as well as in the Pacific for future generations to enjoy!

Wells