FOND FAREWELLS

Dear Friends,
In the four months since we have left Alotau, I've seen really exciting and thought-provoking pieces appearing under our fellows' bylines. I was lucky enough to see a few of you in Fiji, and I am always so happy when I see your names pop up in my email inbox.
This blog was an experiment, and I am very pleased with how it went. I hope my successor can pick it up (or perhaps one of you will?) and help it grow.
As you all know, I am moving to a new position with COMPASS, where I will be the new assistant director of science outreach. My contact information is not changing for now, and I hope you will each continue to include me in your lives and your work.
I wish you all the best,
Sincerely,
Liz

30 November, 2007

Surprising results of scientific tsunami damage report

I found this post by Caspar Henderson over at the Coral Bones blog. The last sentence really struck home for me.

At the time, there was much comment in the media, not all of it well-informed, about the impact of the Sumatra-Andaman tsunami of 26 December 2004 on coral reefs across the Indian Ocean. Andrew Baird notifies that an edition of the Atoll Research Bulletin devoted to this issue, no. 544, is now available on line.

In one of the papers, Baird and colleagues report on findings in Aceh. They write:
the initial damage to corals, while occasionally spectacular, was surprisingly limited and trivial when compared to pre-existing damage most probably caused by destructive fishing practice
Read more!

29 November, 2007

Lake Victoria Climate Change Action Plan

Vinaka to Makareta for sharing the joint position of Commonwealth countries on climate change (click 'Read More'), and welcome home from Uganda!

Makareta reports, "Pacific Islands & Caribbean nations present at the Commonwealth Heads of Goverment Meeting (CHOGM) were satisfied that some committments were made by the more developed memebrs of CHOGM to climate change, especially with the change of government in Australia."


LAKE VICTORIA CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION PLAN
We, the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth, are gravely concerned about the threat that climate change represents to human security and economic wellbeing.

2 We reaffirm our continued commitment to the 1989 Langkawi Declaration on the Environment when Commonwealth Heads of Government first defined our collective concern, concluding that:
· Serious deterioration of the environment is a threat to the well-being of current and future generations;
· Delay in halting environmental degradation will result in permanent and irreversible damage;
· Threats to the environment need to be viewed and addressed in a balanced perspective, mindful of the needs to eradicate poverty, provide sustainable development, and enhanced quality of life for all;
· Most environmental problems transcend national boundaries, and therefore require solutions that are mutually reinforcing at global, regional, national and community levels; and,
· Solutions to today’s environmental challenges also require active participation by all.

3 We are conscious that climate change is a direct threat to the very survival of some Commonwealth countries, notably small island states. We are also conscious of the threat to low-lying coastal regions. Climate change can undermine our continuing efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We recognize that the cost of inaction on mitigation and adaptation is far greater than the cost of early action.
4 We believe that the diversity of the Commonwealth places our association in a unique position to support the pursuit of ambitious solutions, particularly through our unqualified support for work through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to reach an agreement on collective, comprehensive and global action.
5 Our Commonwealth diversity also underscores the importance of common but differentiated responsibilities; recognition of the respective capabilities of states, especially the constraints faced by least developed and developing countries; and the importance of developed countries taking the lead. Burden sharing should be equitable, should not perpetuate poverty, and should be compatible with accelerated development.
6 We call for increased financial flows for adaptation, and their improved effectiveness. We urge additional incentives for developing countries, in particular through flexibility mechanisms, for commitments to enhanced mitigation action. Carbon trading will be important in this regard.
7 We recognise the need to overcome technical, economic and policy barriers to facilitate the development, diffusion and deployment of affordable low- and zero-emission technologies and renewable energy. We also recognise the need for energy efficiency and conservation.
8 We firmly believe that no strategy or actions to deal with climate change should have the effect of depriving developing countries of the possibility of sustainable economic development. On the contrary, measures to tackle the impacts of climate change should support the positive economic and social transformation of societies. In particular, the easing of population pressure on agricultural land and the successful development of secondary and tertiary sectors in economies requires the provision of clean energy.
9 We believe that development itself is an important tool in addressing climate change, since a well educated and healthy society, with a diverse economy, is best placed to be flexible and to generate the necessary resources to invest in cleaner technologies and systems, and to fund adaptation measures.
10 Effective action will only be possible with the willing support of the Commonwealth population as a whole, including women and young people. We invite the family of Commonwealth organisations to play a full part in promoting a better understanding of climate change and its impacts, and in addressing adaptation and mitigation challenges.
11 Accordingly, we are resolved, individually and collectively, to pursue active participation through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), caucusing together and leveraging from our shared vision and diversity to the fullest extent possible. These negotiations should be inclusive in nature and should work towards outcomes that are ambitious, comprehensive, equitable, have respect for different national circumstances, and provide for flexibility in addressing climate change. Our shared goal should be to achieve a comprehensive post-2012 global agreement that strengthens, broadens, and deepens current arrangements and leads to reduced emissions of global greenhouse gases. This should include a long term aspirational global goal for emissions reduction to which all countries would contribute.
12 We are also resolved, individually and collectively, to pursue the following actions, which should also inform our positions at Bali:
(i) Pursuit of initiatives to strengthen the quality and participation levels at international negotiations on climate change, such as assisting Commonwealth developing countries with their national negotiating capacity.
(ii) Promotion of Commonwealth work, drawing on our networks of professional associations and other resources, to strengthen consideration of the human and economic aspects of climate change.
(ii) Support for improved land use management, including conservation and sustainable use of forest resources. This should comprise market-based mechanisms and compensatory measures for the preservation of standing forests; provisions for reforestation and afforestation; and measures to combat illegal logging and other causes of deforestation. In this regard, the Commonwealth’s commitment to the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme is renewed and efforts should continue to be pursued to widen international knowledge and support of it.
(iv) Work to study and make recommendations on issues related to the sustainability of fresh agricultural produce in respect of transported exports, particularly from developing countries, with a view to securing more sound information on carbon footprints related to the export of fresh produce.
(v) Renewed efforts to support natural disaster management in member countries. This should include further consideration of insurance proposals for small island states, including those of the Commonwealth Disaster Management Agency, while the Commonwealth Secretariat should continue its work to strengthen natural disaster management in member countries in conjunction with other international efforts.
(vi) The provision of technical assistance and other support, particularly to least developed countries and vulnerable small states, to assess the implications of climate change and the benefits of building adaptation into all aspects of national planning and budgeting, wherever feasible and practical.
13 We are resolved that Commonwealth governments and the Commonwealth Secretariat will play their full part to implement our shared goals and envisaged actions, working in strategic partnership and conjunction with other international institutions, raising awareness, facilitating access, and sharing best practice. Our governments will contribute additional technical and financial support according to our means.
Read more!

MPAs help combat poverty

TNC Study Suggests Efforts to Protect the Ocean Environment and Improve Livelihoods in the Developing World Can Be Mutually Beneficial

ARLINGTON, VA — Well-managed, locally-supported marine reserves in the Asia-Pacific region can significantly help reduce poverty and enhance the quality of life for residents of local communities, according to a new study, Nature’s Investment Bank, released today by The Nature Conservancy.

“This important study demonstrates that conservation and human well-being are indelibly linked,” said Stephanie Meeks, acting president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy. “It’s clear from this study that taking steps to protect vital natural systems, such as through the establishment of marine protected areas, provides clear benefits to people as well as wildlife.”

Governments around the world are wrestling with questions about whether investments in conservation benefit the lives of extremely impoverished people. The Nature’s Investment Bank study provides new, tangible evidence that these investments do bring about measurable economic and quality of life benefits.

Co-authored by Nature Conservancy policy advisor Craig Leisher, Dutch economist Dr. Peter van Beukering, and Brazilian/Australian social scientist Dr. Lea M. Scherl, this study found that restoration of local resources – be they fisheries or coral reefs – increased fish catch and economic opportunities, improved community health, and directly enhanced the lives of local residents.

“When marine protected areas are developed with government support, scientific data, and are managed primarily by local communities that take pride in the management of their natural resources, significant improvements in quality of life can be seen,” said Craig Leisher, co-author of the study. “Building networks of resilient marine protected areas will help maintain the food and income necessary to support coastal communities as well as curb the use of destructive fishing techniques, and enable coral reefs to survive the impacts of climate change.”

As a Fijian community leader from Waiqanake village named Weku Ratumainaceva noted, “The marine protected area is like a bank to the people. Opening more branches of the ‘bank’ in developing countries can contribute to coastal poverty reduction.”

The study team conducted more than 1,100 interviews within poor communities in four countries and, using rigorous scientific methodology endorsed by several leading environmental economists and social scientists, analyzed the effect of marine protected areas at four very different sites:

  • In Indonesia’s Bunaken National Marine Park, local communities benefited from an increase in incomes from dive tourism and a share in revenue from park fees. Interestingly, marine protected area fishers in Bunaken also spent approximately 50 percent less time per year fishing than fishers in an area without a marine protected area, yet their income was roughly equal – suggesting that the protected area fishers have more time to invest in other activities.
  • In Fiji’s Navakavu Locally Managed Marine Area, poverty was reduced by increased fish and shellfish catches (the #1 source of income for the local community), and local incomes more than doubled for the community’s 600 people.
  • In the Solomon Islands Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area, communities saw better governance and more productive management of Arnavon’s marine resources, leading to cooperation on many other community problems as well as greater food security and better public health.
  • On Apo Island in the Philippines, local communities also experienced greater incomes and better public health, due in large part to greater fish catches, more protein, and better nutrition. In addition, increased revenues from tourism were invested to improve local education and healthcare.

The worldwide poverty crisis has risen to the forefront of global issues, and with nearly 3 billion people around the world living on the equivalent of US$2 a day or less, millions are forced to make decisions that damage their environment in order to feed themselves and their families.

When poverty increases, fish stocks are depleted. Fishers are often driven to use destructive methods to catch what little is left, damaging the reefs and fish habitat that produce the food local communities depend upon for survival. With every 5 percent loss of coral reefs, 250,000-500,000 tons of fish are lost as well, threatening food security for millions.

This study highlights the importance of protecting these ocean habitats, to both preserve essential marine life and reduce poverty in coastal areas – not only in Asia-Pacific but across many impoverished coastal communities around the globe.

Nature’s Investment Bank was co-funded by the Nature Conservancy, Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Australian Government and WWF-Indonesia, and was completed in collaboration with local NGOs and universities in each of the four study sites.

The report and an accompanying film can be viewed at: www.nature.org/mpapovertystudy
Additional photographs and materials available from Liz via email or at www.thenewsmarket.com (you will need to register, but it is free)

Read more!

Press Release: Google creates renewable energy R&D group and supports breakthrough technologies

Mountain View, Calif. (November 27, 2007) – Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced a new strategic initiative to develop electricity from renewable energy sources that will be cheaper than electricity produced from coal. The newly created initiative, known as RE < C, will focus initially on advanced solar thermal power, wind power technologies, enhanced geothermal systems and other potential breakthrough technologies. RE < C is hiring engineers and energy experts to lead its research and development work, which will begin with a significant effort on solar thermal technology, and will also investigate enhanced geothermal systems and other areas. In 2008, Google expects to spend tens of millions on research and development and related investments in renewable energy. As part of its capital planning process, the company also anticipates investing hundreds of millions of dollars in breakthrough renewable energy projects which generate positive returns.

"We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centers," said Larry Page, Google Co-founder and President of Products. "We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at globally significant scale, and produce it cheaper than from coal."


Page added, "There has been tremendous work already on renewable energy. Technologies have been developed that can mature into industries capable of providing electricity cheaper than coal. Solar thermal technology, for example, provides a very plausible path to providing renewable energy cheaper than coal. We are also very interested in further developing other technologies that have potential to be cost-competitive and green. We are aware of several promising technologies, and believe there are many more out there."

Page continued, "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forward. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cheaper than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades." (One gigawatt can power a city the size of San Francisco.)

"If we meet this goal," said Page, "and large-scale renewable deployments are cheaper than coal, the world will have the option to meet a substantial portion of electricity needs from renewable sources and significantly reduce carbon emissions. We expect this would be a good business for us as well."

Coal is the primary power source for many around the world, supplying 40% of the world's electricity. The greenhouse gases it produces are one of our greatest environmental challenges. Making electricity produced from renewable energy cheaper than coal would be a key part of reducing global greenhouse-gas emissions.

"Cheap renewable energy is not only critical for the environment but also vital for economic development in many places where there is limited affordable energy of any kind," added Sergey Brin, Google Co-founder and President of Technology.

For more information on Google's commitment to a clean energy future, see http://www.google.com/renewable-energy

For broadcast-standard video and other multimedia files for the announcement, see http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/index.html

For more information on recruitment for RE, see http://www.google.com/jobs/energy/

Media Contact:
Jacquelline Fuller
press@google.com
Read more!

28 November, 2007


Unpredictable changes
By ALUMECI NAKEKE
24 November 2007



People in Fiji need to open their eyes wider to see the effects of climate change taking place right on their doorsteps. Why are the coastline moving up and some trees gone from where it used to stand? Why so we have to move our gravesites, dig up the bones and rebury them?
Shorelines are eroding and passing by the Coral Coast one could see its effects. Coastal erosion is also caused by development in villages, towns and other activities like the harvesting of corals.

It is about time people wake up and be aware of what is going on around us.

Director Environment Epeli Nasome said because of Fiji's land mass, impacts of climate change was lesser than smaller island nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati that are now at risk as their islands start to sink.

He said all island countries should get together as a team and fight together for survival.
Tuvalu Climate Action Network officer Reverend Tafua Lusana who is in Fiji this week said, fish found in certain areas were gone because of currents patterns and trees were blooming earlier or later than the normal season. Traditional knowledge of each season was now unpredictable as the weather because of the changes.

Planting of food was also difficult because now they have to dig deeper into the sand to reach the soil but the sea water goes in the pits so their crops fail. Now they have to rely on cash lifestyle because they cannot plant their food.

Early next month the 13th Conference of the Pacific will take place in Bali, Indonesia, and it is an important meeting because this will be the last chance for the world to agree to take stronger action to prevent dangerous climate change.

Worldwide Fund climate change campaigner Jyotishma Naicker said countries needed to decide what actions they wanted to take in the next phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
"Most importantly that must include new and strong commitments to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge is for countries to agree on who does what and by how much," she said.

Ms Naicker also said COP 13 was important for the Pacific because our survival was at stake and Pacific Island countries were among those most vulnerable to climate change and their economies were also not strong enough to withstand or quickly recover from extreme events.
Because of the location of this meeting it is like bringing the international community to our doorsteps so it will be an opportunity to have our voices heard loud and clear, she said.
In the latest findings by International Panel on Climate Change it found that mean temperature have risen by 0.6 to 1.0 degrees celsius since 1910 and by the end of the century, temperatures could be as high as 3.11 degrees celsius above the baseline.

So there will be an increase in hot days across the whole Pacific islands region.

Water resources in small islands are more likely to be compromised and the annual rainfall could vary by as much as 10 per cent and extreme rainfall would become more common, leading to soil erosion and flooding.

There has also been evidence of increase in storms, globally and more tropical cyclones in warmer areas.

Sea levels has also risen in the region at an average of 1.6mm annually in the last 50 years but the melting of icecaps could increase more than what predicted.

However, there are also some non-climate causes like poverty, urbanisation, small economy, unemployment, and mismanagement of natural resources which add to the Pacific islands' vulnerability.

Agricultural losses could amount to F$23 - $52million in Fiji by 2050 and it could be caused by changes to the rainfall patterns and the intensity of the tropical cyclones.

Tuna catches could also be reduced because of rising sea levels.
Damages to coral reefs and other coastal systems could affect tourism and related industries.
People's health could be affected by increasing rates of vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and filariasis. In Fiji the dengue outbreak in '97 and '98 resulted in 24,000 infections, 13 deaths and a cost of between US$3 – 6million.

There was also a rise in diarrhoea because of water scarcity and there would be more fish poisoning due to warmer sea temperatures.

Because Pacific islands depend on tourism, agriculture and fisheries their economies could also be affected.

So the only solution now is adaptation to climate change because the impacts are too great to ignore and would worsen over the coming years, stated WWF in their document. But it will not stop climate change but rather prevent it from getting worse.

Pacific island nations should also push for stronger international action because without massive cuts to global greenhouse gas emissions climate change will continue to undermine the livelihoods of Pacific islands people. They will need to push for stronger mitigation efforts from the international community so that by 2050 the emissions reductions would be 50 – 85 per cent. We in the Pacific only contribute less than 1.0 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions so the Mali conference must deliver a mandate for governments to start formal negotiations on the new international climate change rules that will replace the current rules soon to be expired in 2012, which was only five years ahead and the end of the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. Read more!

Blogging from Bali

This post is from the Climate Change Action Blog.

Blogs to be reporting from Bali:
It's Getting Hot In Here
Celsias
De Smog Blog
Bali Climate Change Conference Blog
Oxfam International in Bali
Climate Feedback
Climate Shifts
CarbonFund
GreenPeace Policy Work
UNFCCC Bali Blog


Coverage by the experts:
Environmental News Network 'Climate Change'
IISD Daily Conference Summary--Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB)
NGO Coverage with daily 'Eco' newsletter
Bali UN Conference on Climate Change Official Website.
Read more!

The lead-up to Bali

Over at Climate Change Action, they are reporting a number of activities and protests planned around the Bali meeting that may be of interest to you. These include:

  1. The World Business Council on Sustainable Development and International Chamber of Commerce are holding a 'Business Day' to lobby for a new climate deal.
  2. The Global Climate Campaign is coordinating demonstrations around the world.
  3. Greenpeace is using the talks to highlight the 'global disaster' that is palm oil production.
  4. Groups working together on development and adaptation are getting together to educate the conference attendees on these joint challenges.
  5. SustainUS is sending a youth delegation to Bali to share the views of the American public
Read more!

26 November, 2007

Australia to ratify Kyoto Protocol!

Thanks Titi, who saw this article first and sent it along!

AUSTRALIA TO SIGN KYOTO PROTOCOL

26 NOVEMBER 2007 CANBERRA (Pacnews) ----- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has told world leaders Australia will ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change within weeks and has ordered senior bureaucrats to move quickly to draft new industrial relations laws.

The incoming prime minister has also repudiated Labor Party factions and trade unions by demanding the right to name his own ministry on merit and assuring voters he will reject sectional interests.

Mr Rudd was at his desk early yesterday to begin the transition to power after Saturday's stunning electoral annihilation of the Howard government, in which at least four ministers, including John Howard, appear to have lost their seats on the strength of a huge 6per cent national swing toLabor.

The record swing achieved by Labor eclipsed even the 5per cent swing achieved by Mr Howard to take government in 1996 as well as that of Labor's Bob Hawke in 1983 (3.6per cent) and Gough Whitlam in 1972 (2.5per cent)

As counting continued yesterday, the Australian Electoral Commission said Labor had secured 83 seats - up from 59. The Liberals held 48 seats, the Nationals 10 and independents two.

Seven seats were undecided. In Mr Howard's seat of Bennelong, Labor recruit and former journalist Maxine McKew was 343 votes ahead on the primary count and widely expected to use Greens preferences to terminate Mr Howard's 33-year career.

As the Coalition reeled in the wake of the rout, Mr Rudd took calls from US President George W.Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, having spoken with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono late on Saturday night.

The prime minister-elect assured Mr Bush, a personal friend of Mr Howard, that Australia would retain its commitment to the US-Australian alliance. And he spoke at length to Dr Yudhoyono and Mr Brown about his policy priorities, including the early ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Mr Rudd accepted Dr Yudhoyono's invitation to attend next month's climate change summit in Bali.

The summit is aimed at forging new international agreements over action on climate change, which critics charge has been stalled by the refusal of the US and China, backed by Australia, to take the symbolic step of ratifying the agreements on emission reduction targets outlined in the Kyoto pact.

Mr Rudd yesterday summoned senior bureaucrats to Brisbane for briefings, including talks on the timing of the Kyoto ratification, which formed a central part of Labor's policy on climate change.

Mr Rudd said Labor MPs would meet in Canberra on Thursday, after which he would finalise the make-up of his front bench. “I will be determining the ministry myself and that will be determined on the basis of merit and I believe that is entirely appropriate,” Mr Rudd said.

“I was elected yesterday as this country's next prime minister. I think it is incumbent upon me to put forward the best possible team for the nation.

“I intend to do that based on merit, based on performance.”

Unions, which backed Labor with a massive anti-Work Choices advertising campaign, are already agitating for Labor to act quickly and honour its promise to dump Mr Howard's workplace laws.

John Robertson, head of Unions NSW, called for retrospective laws that would allow people who had already signed Australian Workplace Agreements to escape them.
Mr Rudd will also face pressure from within Labor ranks to water down the Howard government's Northern Territory intervention program, with many concerned it is too draconian. Labor has promised to reinstate the Aboriginal permit system and the CDEP indigenous work-for-the-dole programme, but many in the party believe it needs to go further.

In a short press conference, a business-like Mr Rudd said work had begun on the implementation of Labor's policies, including the delivery of a world-class education system, greater efficiency in public hospitals, action on climate change, provision of infrastructure, including broadband, and greater resources for childcare.

“You will see us methodically work through our program for government,” said Mr Rudd, who spoke for less than 15 minutes. "The plans we put forward for the future are detailed. If you look at what we've advanced in terms of education, of hospitals, of climate change, of water as well as our proposals on industrial relations, this is a substantive agenda of work. Everyone is going to have their hands well and truly full.”

Mr Rudd said he was delighted with the performance of his front bench during the campaign but refused to endorse individuals beyond deputy leader Julia Gillard, treasurer-elect Wayne Swan and Labor finance spokesman Lindsay Tanner - all of whom were assured of their places earlier this year.

He refused to speculate on the future of gaffe-prone environment spokesman Peter Garrett or on whether he would draft high-profile former union leaders Greg Combet and Bill Shorten to senior positions.

Amid suggestions veteran Labor senator John Faulkner might also move to the front bench, Labor sources said last night Mr Rudd had devoted his energy to winning the election and had not yet given full attention to the ministry.

After a morning attendance at a church service in his Brisbane seat of Griffith, Mr Rudd spent the afternoon in meetings with Ms Gillard, Mr Swan and the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Peter Shergold. The talks with Dr Shergold included discussions on the administrative arrangements required before the ratification of the Kyoto pact.

Mr Swan also met Treasury secretary Ken Henry, while Ms Gillard prepared for early discussions on the dismantling of the Work Choices laws.

Asked why Mr Howard had lost power, Mr Rudd said it was vital that leaders were honest with voters.

“I think it's really important with the Australian people to be straight up and down about what you can do and what you can't do,” he said

“We believe that the core reason we have prevailed in this election is because we've outlined an agenda for the future which now becomes our agenda of work. If we prosecute that agenda and implement it, faithfully, honestly, practically, we will command respect.”

Labor national secretary Tim Gartrell attributed the victory to a completely negative campaign by the government and Mr Rudd's campaign discipline. “Kevin Rudd ran a professional campaign,” he told the Nine Network's Business Sunday programme”He was an excellent leader.

“And I think the government completely underestimated him, there was a huge dose of hubris.”

Mr Gartrell said voters had concluded that Mr Howard had lost touch and become a man of the past…….PNS (ENDS)
Read more!

Witness to Climate Change

One of the challenges of telling climate change stories is that they often seem too abstract and too big to manage. But these issues affect us all, especially small island states in the Pacific.
WWF has a program called Climate Witness that helps real people talk about how our rising sea level and changing climate are affecting them personally. If you haven't seen these yet, I encourage you to browse and read them.

Climate Witness: Ben Namakin, Kiribati and Micronesia
My name is Ben Namakin. I am originally from Kiribati, but I currently live in Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape) in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). I work as an environmental educator for the Conservation Society of Pohnpei
(CSP), the only local environment non-government organisation on the island... During my childhood days in Kiribati, we never experienced severe sea flooding. There were storms, but they weren’t that bad. As the sea levels continue to rise in Kiribati, several king tides hit the island. Saltwater intrusion affects the quality of water in wells, floods taro patches, gardens, and puts stress on plants/trees which are very important to the life and culture of an I-Kiribati. Read more about Ben here Read more!

Background on the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali

The following information is taken directly from the conference website.

When is the Bali conference and who will attend?
The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2007 in Bali will start on Monday, 3 December and close on Friday, 14 December 2007. The Conference will be presided over by Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, with support from the UN’s Climate Change Secretariat (UNFCCC), headed by Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer.
The first week will involve negotiations among the Parties at the level of high-ranking government officials on a wide range of issues. On Wednesday, 12 December, the high-level segment will start with addresses by the UN Secretary-General and the President of Indonesia. It is expected to be attended by 130 Environment Ministers.

Why is the Bali Conference of such importance?
This year’s scientific report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made clear beyond doubt that climate change is a reality and can seriously harm the future development of our economies, societies and eco-systems worldwide.
Immediate action is needed to be able to prevent the most severe impacts. Since climate change is a global issue, tackling climate change and its impacts can only be successfully coordinated at the international level. The UN Framework on Climate Change presents the appropriate forum to do this. It has been expanded by the Kyoto Protocol which includes emission reduction commitments for developed countries over the period 2008–2012. A new international climate change deal must be put in place in time to ensure that necessary action is undertaken immediately after 2012 when the current phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends. Therefore, comprehensive negotiations on a new climate deal need to begin without further delay. At the Bali Conference, Parties are expected to agree to the launch of this process.

What can the Bali conference deliver?
The main goal of the Bali Conference is to deliver this necessary breakthrough and get negotiations going on a new international climate change agreement. The Bali Conference will not deliver a fully negotiated and agreed climate deal but is aimed to set the necessary wheels in motion. Parties need to agree on the key areas which the new climate agreement should cover, such as mitigation (including avoided deforestation), adaptation, technology and financing. They also need to agree on when the talks and negotiations will conclude so that the new climate change deal can be ratified by national governments before the end of 2012. Furthermore, countries should decide on the organisational and procedural arrangements to get to this result. Other important issues will be under negotiation in Bali including adaptation to climate change, the launch of a Fund for adaptation, reducing emissions from deforestation, issues relating to the carbon market, and arrangements for a review of the Kyoto Protocol. Read more!