Ignorance or selfishness?

"And rising sea levels put at risk the very survival of all small island states" - Ban Ki-moon, Ex Secretary-general of the UN

I'm back again, back to further my quest in raising awareness about the Pacific Islands! Today, I thought I'd inform you about how the Pacific compares to other regions in terms of sea level rise (SLR) and also update you on the outcomes of COP23!

Figure 1: Cartoon highlighting the importance of the Paris accord - Source: Adrian Raeside

COP23 - Bonn

COP23 came to an end last week, with numerous positive improvements coming from the climate talks. Key developments include the powering past coal alliance and the America's Pledge. The conference enabled Fiji to create The Ocean Pathway and Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.  They also introduced Talanoa dialogue to improve the approach to climate bureaucracy.

Video 1: Timoci Naulusala, a year 7 student, speaks about the impacts of climate change on Fijian communities at the opening of COP 23

How does SLR in the Pacific Islands compare to the rest of the world?

The Pacific Islands are home to approximately 2.1 million people, all of which are at risk due to SLR creating an extensive list of problems. It is estimated a sea level rise of 30-50cm would affect 77,018km of shoreline causing $1.4 million in damages per year. 

Figure 2: Table showing the sea level rise for each country in the South Pacific based on the low emission scenario until the turn of the century - Source:  Data consolidated from Pacific Climate Change Science

Figure 3: Mean SLR of various countries and the global mean compared to the mean SLR of the Pacific Islands - Source: Available upon request

Evidently, SLR in the South Pacific is significantly higher than other countries, but The Pacific Islands low elevation exacerbates the problem further. For example, the Marshall Islands has an average elevation of 2.13m, Kiribati has an average elevation of 2m and Tuvalu has average elevation of only 1.83m (I'm taller than that).  SLR and climate change will affect the South Pacific in a number of different ways, including:

• Groundwater intrusions /water shortages
• Extreme weather/storm surges
• Shoreline erosion and degradation
• Environmental change
• Agriculture/food security problems
• Economic costs
• Health impacts

Throughout my following blog posts I will explain the impacts of these implications on the South Pacific Islands. In the meantime, I would highly recommend watching the documentary below!

Video 2: Documentary about Takuu, one of the Mortlock Islands in the South Pacific which is slowly disappearing because of SLR. Filmmaker Briar March offers an insight into the lives of the people whose land is being consumed

Wells

23rd time lucky?

"We must now agree on a binding review mechanism under international law, so that this century can credibly be called a century of decarbonisation" Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany

Figure 1: Controversial cartoon suggesting countries vested interests are in the way of the Paris agreement - Source: Tom Scott

 As an avid reader about climate change and sustainable global development, it appears I've definitely been born in the right decade. I for one believe, young adults in modern society are extremely fortunate to be maturing during a period of time, so highly influential and important in terms of global politics and governance. On Monday, the 23rd UN climate change conference will commence. The conference is critically important this year and could potentially lead to a pioneering step towards global climate advocacy.

Video 1: A video shown at the pre-COP displaying and explaining the damage and problems caused by climate change in Fiji

 Why is this year so important?

It differs from the previous 22 because it's the first time a small island developing state will preside over the conference. Fiji, chairing the conference is pivotal because it gives Fiji a leadership position, where they can influence the way in which climate policy and climate governance international develops. Highlighting actions taken by countries on the frontline of the climate impact, as well allowing vulnerable countries depending on said conferences for survival, an opportunity to express their concerns on the world stage to climate change delegates. My previous two posts compliment and put this importance into better context.

Video 2: In the video above, Nazhat Shameem, Fiji's chief negotiator speaks about the importance of the COP23 to the Pacific islands, the expectations and objectives of the conference and its imperative relevance to the Paris Agreement.

Make sure to keep up to date on the progress of the conference over the next two weeks!

Wells

Figure 2: Logo of COP23 - Source: https://cop23.com.fj/