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Island Vulnerability

The vulnerability of Small Island Countries has received increasing attention since the Barbados Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in 1994.

The particular vulnerability of islands is often described in terms of their remoteness, small size and exposure to climatic instability. The significance of the climatic component of vulnerability has drawn particular attention to the impacts of climate variability and change on Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

Climatic events in the region, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) episodes; the reverse condition to El Niño, La Niña; and tropical cyclones causing either droughts or floods, have a large impact on the water resources of Pacific Island Countries.



In addition to current climatic variability, there is the possibility of climate change and sea level rise due to the enhanced greenhouse effect resulting from worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate change scenarios for PICs vary according to location and the models used. Most models predict an increase in frequency of El Niño episodes and increased intensity of cyclones.

Pacific Dialogue on Water and Climate

The vulnerability of Small Island Countries was also acknowledged by the global water community through the inclusion of “Water in Small Islands Countries� as a special theme at the 3rd World Water Forum that was held in Kyoto, Japan from 16-23 March 2003. The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly led this “Water in Small Island Countries� session1.

As part of the Pacific preparations for the 3rd World Water Forum, a regional consultation on sustainable water management was held in conjunction with the “Pacific Dialogue on Water and Climate�. This dialogue was initiated “to improve the capacity in water resources management to cope with the impacts of increasing variability of the world's climate, by establishing a platform through which policymakers and water resources managers have better access to, and make better use of, information generated by climatologists and meteorologists.�2

Outcomes

As a result of the regional consultation Ministers, Heads of Delegation and representatives of civil society groups with responsibilities for water affairs from 16 small island countries in the Pacific, as well as East Timor and the Maldives agreed upon the implementation of the “Pacific Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Water Management�.



Relevant to the Dialogue on Water and Climate, the regional action plan contained three key messages as follows:

* Key Message 1: Strengthen the capacity of small island countries to conduct water resources assessment and monitoring as a key component of sustainable water resources management.


* Key Message 2: There is a need for capacity development to enhance the application of climate information to cope with climate variability and change.


* Key Message 3: Change the paradigm for dealing with Island Vulnerability from disaster response to hazard assessment and risk management, particularly in Integrated Water Resource Management.

Outcome of the Pacific Dialogue on Water and Climate
Pacific DWC Synthesis Report.pdf

From Vision to Action

Based on the Key Messages the need for regular climate information and hydrological training have been identified by NZAID as two needs for Pacific Island countries that can be addressed through their assistance to the Pacific Type II Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management.



NZAID agreed to the funding of a programme to provide monthly climate information through the Pacific Island Climate Update (ICU) 3 and develop and strengthen the basic hydrological training needs of small island countries in the Pacific.

The publication of the ICU has been continued and plans are being developed to broaden its scope to include additional information for end users in Pacific islands, such as effects of forecasted climate on island’s water resources (rainfall, surface and ground waters).

A wider distribution of the ICU will enhance the application of climate information by climate sensitive sectors such as energy, water supply, agriculture, etc. As a result of SOPAC’s involvement, the ICU will be disseminated to a wider group of end-users in the Pacific, including national hydrological services, water utility managers and disaster managers.

ACP-EU Water Facility Funds Pacific HYCOS Project

Based on the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee of the ACP-EU WATER FACILITY, the European Commission has decided that the Pacific Hydrological Cycle Observing System (Pacific HYCOS) may be awarded a grant by the 9th European Development Fund.
SOPAC with associate partners WMO, UNESCO and the Fiji Meteorological Service submitted the proposal to the ACP-EU Water Facility in response to its 1st Call for Proposals.
The Pacific HYCOS is a regional water resources management initiative to improve management and protection of Pacific small island states freshwater resources, through the provision of appropriate water resources management systems to demonstrate sustainable catchment and aquifer management.
In 2004 the EU Council and the ACP-EC Council of Ministers allocated €500 million for the Water Facility. Through its 2 tranches each of €250 million, the Water Facility is more than doubling the funding already available through the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) for water and sanitation (€475 million).
The interest in the Water Facility’s first Call for Proposals has been overwhelming. Nearly 800 preliminary proposals (for a total of €5 Billion, requesting €2,7 Billion from the Facility) were received following the call in Nov 2004.
With the €250 M available, a total number of 97 projects can be co-financed. Total costs of these projects amounts to €410 M. Among the selected initiatives, 23 fall into the category of improved water governance (€33.2 M), 12 are in the category of water supply and sanitation infrastructure programmes (€105 M) and 62 are in the category of Civil Society Initiatives (€91.4 M). A reserve list of 39 projects has been established.
The 2nd Call for Proposals, for an amount of €178 M, will be launched by Mid March 2006.
Ideas and information on the Pacific HYCOS project will be exchanged with ongoing HYCOS projects in other regions at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Technical Conference organized in conjunction with the Seventh Session of the World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS) International Advisory Group (WIAG). The technical conference and the seventh session of the (WIAG) will be held in the WMO Secretariat, Geneva, from 30 January to 2 February 2006 and will officially launch the WHYCOS Guidelines and WHYCOS web portal.

For more information visit the EU Water Facility Website at:
http://europa.eu.int/waterfacility
or
http://www.euwi.net/

or contact:
Marc Overmars at: marc@sopac.org
or
Komal Raman at : komalr@soapc.org

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Sigatoka Meeting Special Session on the Pacific Dialogue on Water and Climate

Thursday 1 August 2002

Dialogue on Water and Climate Consultations

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The Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate provided more case studies from all over the globe. For more information about the Programme or other case studies click on the logo below:

Other Useful Links on Climate Information Products

International Organisation

Island Climate Update

The Island Climate Update (ICU) is a multi-disciplinary, multi-national scientific project providing Pacific Islands with a three-month regional climate forecast bulletin, every month. The bulletin is published by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in collaboration with SOPAC, SPREP and PIC Meteorological Services with important input from regional experts and organisations in the field of climate prediction and research. The project aims to improve access to accurate, timely and relevant climate information for the various climate sensitive sectors in the region. It is hoped that this will contribute to capacity building in the region’s planning processes for climate related extreme events.

The latest issue of the ICU, Issue # 73 October 2006, is available here.

Free subscription to the ICU bulletin is available both through post and through email. Contact Linda Yuen at linda@sopac.org or Ashmita Gosai at a.gosai@niwa.co.nz

An archive of all previous issues of the bulletin is available at: http://www.niwascience.co.nz/ncc/icu/archive


South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material

The South Pacific Seasonal Outlook Reference Material (SPSORM) is a quarterly document which is a non-exhaustive collection of observations and seasonal climate outlooks for the South Pacific region, collated from a number of operational and research centres from around the world and put together and distributed by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
For more information Contact:

Dr. Andrew Watkins
email: A.Watkins@bom.gov.au

The Climate Prediction Centre

Serves the public by assessing and forecasting the impacts of short-term climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events, for use in mitigating losses and maximizing economic gains

The International Research Institute for Climate and Society

By providing practical advancements that enable better management of climate related risks and opportunities in the present, Columbia's IRI creates solutions that will help to increase adaptability to long term climate change.

World Meteorological Organisation

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a Specialized Agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

PEAC - Pacific ENSO Applications Centre

The Pacific ENSO Applications Center (PEAC) was established as a multi-institutional partnership, to conduct research and produce information products on climate variability related to the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands.

The IWMI World Water and Climate Atlas

The IWMI World Water and Climate Atlas gives virtually instant summaries of climate data, by month, for any location on the globe. Click on th Logo to enter your query. (International Water Management Institute)

Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change: Selective List of Online Resources. The most comprehensive listing of online resources on Climate Change and water
Compiled by Wil Burns, Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security

National Organisation / Other Initiatives

Australia
http://www.bom.gov.au

Fiji
http://www.met.gov.fj

Solomon Islands
http://www.met.gov.sb

Meteo - France (New Caledonia)
http://www.meteo.nc

Cook Island
http://www.cookislands.pacificweather.org

Tuvalu
http://tuvalu.pacificweather.org

New Zealand
http://metservice.co.nz

South Pacific Sea Level & Climate Monitoring Project
http://www.bom.gov.au/pacificsealevel/index.shtml*