Report of the joint committee to study the impact of sea level rise on the islands and frame policy and measures to protect these islands dated October 10, 2023. The report was in compliance with the National Green Tribunal order, July 11, 2023. The report recommended undertaking field-based topographic surveys …
A somewhat controversial statement was made 4 years ago by Professor Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at Cambridge University, that the Arctic Ocean could well be free of sea ice within only a few years. While it’s arguable if making such statements publicly is a good …
A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and no tsunami warning was issued. Vanuatu is part of the "Ring of Fire", a zone of tectonic activity around the …
WELLINGTON, June 7 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand will help Pacific island peoples adapt their homelands to climate change and rising sea-levels as many are unwilling to leave their homes, Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett said Tuesday. Bennett said she had visited Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu last week …
A 5.0-magnitude earthquake occurred near the Andaman Islands west of Thailand early Wednesday, no causalities were reported. According to the Seismological Bureau of Thai Meteorological Department, the earthquake occurred at 03:32 a.m. Thailand time (2032GMT), while its depth is 10 km below the seabed. The epicenter is roughly 400 km …
Global climate models today signify that 50 percent of small islands will become drier and the other 50 percent wetter by mid-century. However, the new study that was published recently argued that a more accurate estimate is at 73 percent. Lead author Kris Karnauskas said in an interview with The …
Three-quarters of the world’s small islands, home to 16 million people, are set to get more arid by mid-century, according to a study published in journal Nature Climate Change on Monday. Warmer temperatures will evaporate more water than they replenish in rainfall, the survey of 80 island groups found. Among …
Changes in island area, isolation and connectivity observed since the Last Glacial Maximum have had measurable effects on present-day biodiversity, with formerly larger and less well connected islands having a greater number of endemic species.
Coral reefs on remote islands and atolls are less exposed to direct human stressors but are becoming increasingly vulnerable because of their development for geopolitical and military purposes. Here we document dredging and filling activities by countries in the South China Sea, where building new islands and channels on atolls …
Countries export much of the harm created by their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because the Earth’s atmosphere intermixes globally. Yet, the extent to which this leads to inequity between GHG emitters and those impacted by the resulting climate change depends on the distribution of climate vulnerability. Here, we determine empirically …
This paper identifies rare climate challenges in the long-term history of seven areas, three in the subpolar North Atlantic Islands and four in the arid-to-semiarid deserts of the US Southwest. For each case, the vulnerability to food shortage before the climate challenge is quantified based on eight variables encompassing both …
Many islands face shortages of fresh water. Desalination using renewable energy can meet their water needs at reduced costs, this report finds. Desalination methods such as reverse osmosis (RO) or multi-effect distillation (MED) can be combined with solar photovoltaic (PV) or concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. RO also works with …
A group of high-profile business leaders has challenged governments to set strong targets and not slam the door on limiting warming to 1.5C. On Monday, a Paris meeting aimed at reaching a global deal to fight climate change kicks up to a gear, with government ministers taking charge of negotiations. …
A key challenge in climate change adaptation planning is projecting how changes in climate will affect efforts to conserve biological communities, and in particular species already under threat. While the projected effects of climate change on individual species may vary from beneficial to deleterious, for rare species already at risk …
The island nation of Kiribati is one of the world's most vulnerable to rising sea levels. But residents may have to leave well before the ocean claims their homes. Original Source
Frank Bainimarama says: ‘The Australian government, in particular, seems intent on putting its own immediate economic interests first’ The prime minister of Fiji has delivered a blistering broadside at his Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull, over the “climate change deniers” in his government who are helping doom Australia’s “unlucky island neighbours”. …
Increasing pollution is threatening the seas and ecology surrounding the tourist island of Phu Quoc in Vietnam's southern Kien Giang province, local media reported Monday. Rubbish and waste water from tourism services, fishing boats and fish breeding farms are discharging some 180 tons of waste per day, though only half …
Corals are recovering from last year’s bleaching but warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures this year will likely lead to a more deadly year for coral reef Warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures around Hawaii this year will likely lead to the worst coral bleaching the islands have ever seen, scientists said. Many corals are only …
A ferry and recreational boats pass in front of the Sydney Opera House September 28, 2014. Local media reported that the Sydney Opera House Trust has been awarded an AUD$225,000 ($200,000) grant by the U.S. philanthropic organisation, the Getty Foundation, for a study of the concrete elements of the building …
Leaders of the Pacific Islands have begrudgingly accepted that not all countries in the grouping will agree to a stronger stance on climate change that the smaller islands were desperately pushing for. The 46th meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum ended with an agreement to disagree on the contentious issue …
Kiribati president says any attempt to water down a commitment to curb global warming would be a ‘betrayal’ and that there will be no compromise on target Tony Abbott is set to receive a frosty reception from some Pacific island leaders in Papua New Guinea amid frustration at Australia’s perceived …
