Why we need to join forces to do battle

Rita Narayan
American Samoa’s Governor Togiola Tulafono announced at the recent 5th Conference of the Pacific Community that his government was going to ban the purchase of four-wheel drive vehicles except in cases where they were absolutely necessary.

Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), welcomed the initiative, saying it was the kind of high-level political support needed in the fight against climate change.

In co-presenting a paper on climate change to the SPC Conference with Asterio Takesy, Director of SPREP (Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Regional Environment Programme), Dr Rodgers acknowledged the lead role taken by SPREP in coordinating national and regional responses to climate change in the Pacific.

Rodgers believes it is time for SPC and other Pacific organisations to join forces with SPREP to lift the region’s voice on the issue.

“For some time now, SPREP has been like a lone voice in the wilderness,” he says.

“They have been championing the cause and trying to get changes happening at our own Pacific Islands level, as well as in the international community.”

“SPREP is leading the charge, but the battle belongs to all of us. If we are to win this war, as many organisations and groups as possible need to join forces with SPREP and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Climate change

"Not only do we need to better understand the potential consequences of climate change in our own region, we also need to influence global opinion and lobby for positive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Rodgers put climate change on the agenda of the 5th Conference of SPC’s governing council as one of the emerging issues affecting Pacific Islands countries and territories.

The two-yearly conference, which was held in Apia, Samoa, in November, was also SPC’s 60th anniversary conference and was Rodgers' first as head of SPC.

“Climate change is everybody’s business and it’s an issue that our governing body must be well informed on,” he says.

“The more that ministers who come to our conference know about this issue, the more political influence there will be at national level because every cabinet will have more ministers who appreciate the potential consequences of climate change for their country.

“Many countries are already doing what they can to the extent that they cannot do any more. Rather, they’re at the mercy of the large emitters.

"What remains to be seen is whether the big industrial countries will actually change their perceptions and their behaviour to cut down greenhouse gas emissions.

"I think broadening political support in the Pacific beyond one minister in cabinet will help us achieve that,” Rodgers says.

Governor Tulafono told the 5th Conference that simply talking about climate change would not make any difference.

“In declaring American Samoa’s realisation of the seriousness of the issue—a modern day equivalent to Samoa’s coming of age—I have issued an executive order that will result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

“We island people must put more emphasis on addressing the daunting threat of climate change. American Samoa comes to the table to learn from your approaches to climate change adaptation.

"We also openly ask you to work together to make a difference on this critical issue,” Governor Tulafono told the conference.

The latest reports on climate change have confirmed the changes that many Pacific Islands people have seen for themselves in the last few years.

Higher temperatures, rising sea levels, changing rainfall patterns and more frequent and intense cyclones are threatening the long-term social, economic and environmental security of island communities.

Vulnerable

“The worse case scenario is that the sea level rise over the next 100 years could be higher than 1.4 metres and that’s a conservative estimate.

"If that happens, many islands in the Pacific will simply cease to exist,’ says Rodgers.

Kiribati’s deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Tom Murdoch, told the 5th Conference that relocation is an option for low-lying islands and atolls but a proactive approach is vital to ensure that human lives are protected and human security is strengthened before some islands disappear in the next 50-100 years.

Takesy emphasised the importance for the Pacific Islands of the outcome of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali (3-14 December), saying that as an especially vulnerable region, its voice must be heard at this world forum.

Dr Rodgers noted that while SPC does not have a mandate to tackle climate change, it does have many programmes that can impact on or be impacted by the effects of climate change.

“Through our areas of focus we can help mitigate these effects. We can assist our members to adapt to change through planning in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and human settlement.

"We can help countries in their planning processes by giving them the kind of information they need to ensure sustainable management of their resources in the face of change, now and over the long-term.

• Rita Narayan is the radio producer at the Regional Media Centre of the SPC in Suva, Fiji