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CLIMATE CHANGE MATTERS
Issue 40 November 2015
View of the lagoon on Abaiang Island, Kiribati. Photo: John Sutton
Unloading water tanks in Fais Island, FSM- part of the SPC EU GCCA: PSIS Project. Photo: SPC
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Director’s Note and About Us
2
Pacific Ministers and Senior Officials prepare for UN Climate Change Conference in Paris
3
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group are well prepared for COP 21
3
Taking action on Ocean Acidification in the Pacific islands
3
Pacific Islands Climate Outlook Forum Releases Regional Statement on El Nino
4
Cross-border Disaster Displacement- a Pacific perspective at Global Conference
4
Engaging in Open Knowledge through Partnership
4
Fiji negotiators prepare for the Paris Climate Change Conference
5
Abaiang Island discuss Plan to prepare for future drought
5
Vanuatu delegates fine tune negotiating skills for Paris
5
SPREP assists the Pacific to determine their Paris emission goals
5
Documenting lessons learnt and good practices on climate services in the Pacific
6
ROK-PI CLiPS Project Climate Outlook for November 2015 – April 2016
6
Monthly calendar
6
“The Pacific Environment—sustaining our livelihoods and natural
heritage in harmony with our cultures”
CLIMATE CHANGE DIVISION
SPREP, Apia, Samoa
T: +685 21929
E: [email protected]
W: www.sprep.org
ISSN: 2227-6947
Director’s Note

Dear Readers,
November and December are significant months for

us in the Pacific and around the world. Not only we
are preparing to commemorate the birth of our Saviour but we are also keeping a watch on this cyclone 
season. The Pacific and the world are also going to
the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United 
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC COP21) to negotiate a global
agreement to curb global emissions of greenhouse
gasses.
Dr Netatua Pelesikoti
Climate Change Division Director
SPREP
COP 21 is very important to the Pacific islands due
to our vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
There is a clear and strong mandate from the Pacific
islands to COP 21 in Paris, these are derived from
various high level declarations on what the COP 21
means for the Pacific such as the:

Coalition of Low Lying Atoll Nations on Climate Change-Outcomes document, October
2015

Pacific Leaders Declaration on Climate
Change Action, Port Moresby, Sept 2015

SIS Leaders Port Moresby Declaration on
Climate Change, Sept 2015

The Pacific Islands Development Forum
(PIDF) Suva Declaration, Sept, 2015

Polynesian Leaders Taputapuatea Declaration on Climate Change, July 2015

Nuku’alofa Sustainable Weather and Climate Services for a Resilient Pacific, July
2015
Oceania 21 Lifou Declaration on Climate
Change, April 2015
SAMOA Pathways Outcomes Document,
Sept, 2014
PIFS Leaders Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership, Sept 2013
Declaration on South – South Sub Regional
Climate Change Initiative for Youth Leadership
The Pacific Key positions are as follows:
 A Legally binding Agreement in Paris
 Keep global temperature below 1.5 degrees
of pre-industrial levels by 2100
 Ambitious mitigation targets that close the
mitigation gap
 Balance between adaptation and mitigation
 Loss and damage as a separate article in
the Paris Agreement
 Special circumstances of SID recognised
 Ease for Finance for adaptation and mitigation
‘ofa atu,
Neta
About Us
SPREP’s Climate Change Division (CCD) is made up of three programmes:
1.
2.
3.
Adaptation;
Mitigation;
Policy and Science.
The work of the CCD is directed by the SPREP Strategic Plan 2011-2015 based on the climate change priorities of SPREP Members and consistent with the Pacific Islands
Framework for Action on Climate Change 2006-2015 (PIFACC) and other relevant and approved policy drivers such as the Pacific Plan and the Framework for Action on
Disaster Risk Management.
SPREP's three (broad) climate change strategic priorities for 2011-2015 are:
1.
2.
3.
Implementing adaptation measures;
Improving members’ capacity, knowledge and understanding of climate change, and risk reduction;
Contributing to global greenhouse gas reduction.
Please visit our website at: www.sprep.org/Climate-Change/climate-change-about-us
We kindly acknowledge the following donors and partners:
Page 2
Pacific Ministers and Senior Officials prepare for UN Climate Change Conference
in Paris
'Red lines', ambitious mitigation targets and expectations from
the global Climate Conference in Paris at the end of this year
are part of the discussions of Pacific island Ministers and High
Level Delegates in Samoa.
The High Level Support Mechanism Meeting aims to help prepare Pacific island Ministers and senior officials as the world
comes closer to signing off a global climate change agreement
at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP21)
For the full article: Click here
Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group
are well prepared for COP 21
The ACP group met in a special session in Brussels on the 28
and 29 October to ensure that their member delegations are
well briefed and prepared for the upcoming UNFCCC COP 21,
to be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December .
For the full article: Click here
Taking action on Ocean Acidification in
the Pacific islands
Ocean Acidification is rapidly emerging as a significant regional
and global threat to our ocean ecosystems, fisheries, food security and livelihoods.
Increasing ocean acidification is driven by the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of which approximately 50% is
absorbed into the atmosphere, 26% into the land and 24% into
the oceans. This is changing the chemistry of the seawater, a
process called Ocean Acidification.
For the full article: Click here
Issue 40
Page 3
Pacific Islands Climate Outlook Forum Releases Regional Statement on El Nino and Potential Impacts for the Pacific Islands for the first
time.
From 12 to 16 October, 14 Pacific Islands Counties met for the
first time to discuss the Pacific Island Climate Outlook with a
particular focus on the water sector needs. The forum brought
together climate officers, water managers, partners, students,
national disaster management officers, private sector and regional organisations.
For the full article: Click here
Cross-border Disaster Displacement- a Pacific
perspective at Global Conference
"Business as usual is unacceptable for the countries of the Pacific island region," was the message from a global forum on the
displacement of persons and communities from natural disasters and climate change.
SPREP is a key partner to the Nansen Initiative's Global Consultation which brought together over 112 countries in Geneva
to address movement of people in response to climate change
and natural disasters and to discuss a Protection Agenda for
displaced people.
For the full article: Click here
Engaging in Open Knowledge through
Partnership
Members of the Global Open Knowledge Hub (http://
okhub.org/) partnership gathered at the University of Sussex in
Brighton from 21 to 23 October for its annual meeting. The
three day meeting allowed partners to present updates, share
challenges and formulate next steps for the project. Participants
also received an update from the organisers on development
GOKH tools which included the GOKH widget which can be
installed on partner portals to show GOKH documents.
For the full article: Click here
Issue 40
Page 4
Fiji negotiators prepare for the Paris Climate
Change Conference
Negotiators from the Fiji delegation to the upcoming 21st Conference
of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC COP21) had the opportunity last month (October
9th to 11th) to fine tune their skills as they prepare for the COP to be
held in Paris this year.
For the full article: Click here
Abaiang Island discuss Plan to prepare for
future drought
Drought has been the focus in light of the impacts of El Nino currently
experienced by the region, devastating countries like Papua New
Guinea, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands and others
with shortage of water. And with El Nino predicted to peak around December-January 2016 there is ongoing pressure for communities, government and partners to be prepared for the impacts particularly with
water shortage in these countries and others.
For the full article: Click here
Vanuatu delegates fine tune negotiating skills for
Paris
The Vanuatu government, in close partnership with GIZ, SPREP, PIFS
and the USP School of Law, worked together last month from 13 to16
October, to prepare their national delegation for the upcoming United
Nations climate negotiations, which will be held this year in Paris.
For the full article: Click here
SPREP assists the Pacific to determine their Paris
emission goals
In late September this year, SPREP with support from the United Nations Development Program, United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change and Australia organised a workshop on Intended
Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
For the full article: Click here
Page 5
Documenting lessons learnt and good practices on
climate services in the Pacific
The Pacific National Meteorological Services (NMSs) have come a long
way in the development of climate services. Some have been fortunate
to have access to resources and technical support and others have
taken huge steps with one or no dedicated Climate Officer for
instance.
For the full article: Click here
Republic of Korea-Pacific Islands Climate Prediction (ROK-PI CLiPS) Project Climate Outlook
for November 2015 – April 2016.
Synthesis of the latest model forecasts for November 2015 – April 2016 (NDJFMA), indicates the mature phase of El-Niño episode
and will remain in place into the first half of 2016.
For the full article: Click here
CALENDAR - November 2015 Activities
In Country Assistance – Installation of solar in powering the VSAT Systems
Date
Location
31 Oct – 06 Nov
Solomon Islands
02, 11-12 Nov
Fiji
SPC CRGA Meeting
31 Oct – 05 Nov
Niue
3rd Meeting of the GFCS ACP Task Team
04 – 06 Nov
Brussels, Belgium
04 – 0 6 Nov
Samoa
COSPac Sub regional Ocean and Tides workshop
08 – 13 Nov
Solomon Is
In Country Assistance – COP Negotiation Training
09 – 13 Nov
Tonga
09-13 Nov
Tonga
Emerging Global and Regional Trade Issue for the Commonwealth Pacific Region
Meeting
12 – 13 Nov
Tonga
In Country Assistance: Updating of AF Proposal with Kosrae, EIA compliancy of
Kosrae Road under AF proposal, LFA review of AF Project
16 – 20 Nov
Kosrae, FSM
In Country Assistance – Installation of solar in powering the VSAT Systems
High Level Support Mechanism Pacific Preparatory Meeting
In country Assistance: To assist the government of Tonga to initiate development of
its Green Climate Fund proposal
In Country Assistance: CBA Planning and investment Priorities within Kosrae Strategic Development & 2nd training workshop of M&E tool
16 – 21 Nov
In Country Assistance: Abaiang Island Drought Management and Response Plan
Workshop with Island Councillors and Island Development Committee
17– 1 Dec
Kosrae, FSM
Kiribati