Pacific Islands Get Climate Change to Water Summit
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Ocean Wave
Dec 10, 2007, 11:56:14 AM12/10/07
to Kiribati
By Kalinga Seneviratne and Evelyn Agato
http://www.ipsnews.net
It could have been a Pacific Islands summit on climate change. Of the
nine heads of state attending the first Asia Pacific Water Summit
(http://www.apwf.org/), underway in this Japanese town, seven are from
the islands and more concerned with global warming than anything
else.
Hideaki Ode, spokesman for the first APWS, explained that 49 countries
were invited for the summit but top representation came only from
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru,
Niue, Palau and Tuvalu. The others made do with lower-rung ministers
or officials.
It was thus that the concerns of the small Pacific Island nations,
particularly climate change issues, took centre stage during a session
set aside for Asia Pacific leaders, on Monday, as the summit took
off.
Coincidentally, the water summit is running parallel to a major 11-
day, United Nations conference, convened to device fresh approaches to
global warming and climate change, on the Indonesian resort island of
Bali, that also began Monday.
"Past conferences on water-related disasters used to focus on water
shortages, but the situation is changing in recent years because of
global warming," observed Japanese Prime Minister Yasuao Fukuda at
Beppu, famed for its hot springs and health spas.
Small Pacific Islands are especially vulnerable to climate change, and
President Emmanuel Mori of Micronesia said in his address to the APWS
that "there is no longer doubt in anyone's mind that the adverse
impacts of climate change are real and already happening."
Niue's Prime Minister Young Vivian encouraged the countries that are
still to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to do so now. He explained that it
is the only means "to address the adverse impact of climate change on
small island states and the low lying coastal areas of most developing
countries."
Kiribati President Anote Tong said that he was personally affected
when rising sea water pushed in through a wall he had built around his
compound. "Sea water was coming into one of our buildings so I had to
move and live a little bit higher," he explained. "Let's discuss the
long term issues but we have to get into action to address problems
right now.''
Water and sanitation issues were equally pressing for the small island
states. A special session had a Pacific Island minister taking part in
a TV show-style debate on water financing, organised by the Asian
Development Bank with Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on
the panel and the crown prince of Japan in the audience.
The Pacific Island leaders made the point that the issues were real
and solutions were urgent with the deteriorating conditions of the
region's freshwater resources due to impacts of global warming on
fragile island eco-systems.
President Tommy Esang Remengesau of Palau reiterated that no matter
how large or small a country is its existence and livelihood depend on
the availability of freshwater. "We simply cannot count on freshwater
literally falling from the sky and solving our water management
problems,'' he said.
"Most of our water comes from groundwater because most of our people
don't have the roofing to catch rainwater. So they cannot store the
rainwater," Kiribati's Tong told IPS in an interview.
"(Our groundwater supply) is impacted by coastal erosion because as
the land mass becomes narrower (due to rising sea levels) the ability
to retain groundwater will be substantially reduced," he added,
explaining how his country of low-lying islands, nine of them narrow
atolls in the Pacific ocean, almost had to transport water from
overseas recently. ''If there is no groundwater and rain does not
fall, there is no water," Tong said.
Nauru's concerns were reported by its President Ludwig Scotty. His
country is a frequent host to water shortages due to droughts. While
initiatives and strategies to improve water resources management and
protection of groundwater are going on, a lot more has to be done,
particularly in the area of adaptation to climate change.
Latu Kupa, of the Pacific Water Association, addressing the small
islands forum session complained that very often leaders in the region
get together and say they cannot implement recommended policies
because there is no political will.
Kupa said the Pacific Island leaders need to be applauded because it
was for the first time that a majority of them has decided to attend
an international meeting outside their own region to discuss
environmental problems.
Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, director of the International Centre for Water
Hazard and Risk Management, argued that Pacific Islands' problem is
also the problem of the international community, but warned against
foreign remedies imposed on them.
He pointed out, for example, that the introduction of septic tanks has
made groundwater unfit for drinking in the vulnerable island
environment. Similarly, a Japanese company that planted pumpkins in a
Pacific Island country, replacing traditional taro cultivation, ended
up contaminating river water with fertilisers that killed coral
reefs.
The leaders of Tuvalu and Palau used the opportunity to urge the
international community to act with a sense of urgency to assist
Pacific Island countries find solutions to their pressing
environmental problems.
"We cannot stop natural phenomena but we can prepare to reduce its
impact,'' argued Salvano Briceno, director of the International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction. His solutions were available within
the regions, but international financial assistance was needed to help
implement them. "What is also important is people's awareness and
their education on ways to respond to climate change."
Fiji's finance minister Mahendra Chaudhry, speaking during a panel
discussion on water financing issues, noted that in 2003 the South
Pacific nations had adopted a water governance programme in response
to rising sea levels, but implementing them has been a problem due to
lack of financial resources. "We are starved of resources in terms of
knowledge, governance and financing. I appeal to the financial
institutions to consider soft loan options to the small island
nations."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40346
http://www.ipsnews.net
It could have been a Pacific Islands summit on climate change. Of the
nine heads of state attending the first Asia Pacific Water Summit
(http://www.apwf.org/), underway in this Japanese town, seven are from
the islands and more concerned with global warming than anything
else.
Hideaki Ode, spokesman for the first APWS, explained that 49 countries
were invited for the summit but top representation came only from
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru,
Niue, Palau and Tuvalu. The others made do with lower-rung ministers
or officials.
It was thus that the concerns of the small Pacific Island nations,
particularly climate change issues, took centre stage during a session
set aside for Asia Pacific leaders, on Monday, as the summit took
off.
Coincidentally, the water summit is running parallel to a major 11-
day, United Nations conference, convened to device fresh approaches to
global warming and climate change, on the Indonesian resort island of
Bali, that also began Monday.
"Past conferences on water-related disasters used to focus on water
shortages, but the situation is changing in recent years because of
global warming," observed Japanese Prime Minister Yasuao Fukuda at
Beppu, famed for its hot springs and health spas.
Small Pacific Islands are especially vulnerable to climate change, and
President Emmanuel Mori of Micronesia said in his address to the APWS
that "there is no longer doubt in anyone's mind that the adverse
impacts of climate change are real and already happening."
Niue's Prime Minister Young Vivian encouraged the countries that are
still to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to do so now. He explained that it
is the only means "to address the adverse impact of climate change on
small island states and the low lying coastal areas of most developing
countries."
Kiribati President Anote Tong said that he was personally affected
when rising sea water pushed in through a wall he had built around his
compound. "Sea water was coming into one of our buildings so I had to
move and live a little bit higher," he explained. "Let's discuss the
long term issues but we have to get into action to address problems
right now.''
Water and sanitation issues were equally pressing for the small island
states. A special session had a Pacific Island minister taking part in
a TV show-style debate on water financing, organised by the Asian
Development Bank with Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on
the panel and the crown prince of Japan in the audience.
The Pacific Island leaders made the point that the issues were real
and solutions were urgent with the deteriorating conditions of the
region's freshwater resources due to impacts of global warming on
fragile island eco-systems.
President Tommy Esang Remengesau of Palau reiterated that no matter
how large or small a country is its existence and livelihood depend on
the availability of freshwater. "We simply cannot count on freshwater
literally falling from the sky and solving our water management
problems,'' he said.
"Most of our water comes from groundwater because most of our people
don't have the roofing to catch rainwater. So they cannot store the
rainwater," Kiribati's Tong told IPS in an interview.
"(Our groundwater supply) is impacted by coastal erosion because as
the land mass becomes narrower (due to rising sea levels) the ability
to retain groundwater will be substantially reduced," he added,
explaining how his country of low-lying islands, nine of them narrow
atolls in the Pacific ocean, almost had to transport water from
overseas recently. ''If there is no groundwater and rain does not
fall, there is no water," Tong said.
Nauru's concerns were reported by its President Ludwig Scotty. His
country is a frequent host to water shortages due to droughts. While
initiatives and strategies to improve water resources management and
protection of groundwater are going on, a lot more has to be done,
particularly in the area of adaptation to climate change.
Latu Kupa, of the Pacific Water Association, addressing the small
islands forum session complained that very often leaders in the region
get together and say they cannot implement recommended policies
because there is no political will.
Kupa said the Pacific Island leaders need to be applauded because it
was for the first time that a majority of them has decided to attend
an international meeting outside their own region to discuss
environmental problems.
Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, director of the International Centre for Water
Hazard and Risk Management, argued that Pacific Islands' problem is
also the problem of the international community, but warned against
foreign remedies imposed on them.
He pointed out, for example, that the introduction of septic tanks has
made groundwater unfit for drinking in the vulnerable island
environment. Similarly, a Japanese company that planted pumpkins in a
Pacific Island country, replacing traditional taro cultivation, ended
up contaminating river water with fertilisers that killed coral
reefs.
The leaders of Tuvalu and Palau used the opportunity to urge the
international community to act with a sense of urgency to assist
Pacific Island countries find solutions to their pressing
environmental problems.
"We cannot stop natural phenomena but we can prepare to reduce its
impact,'' argued Salvano Briceno, director of the International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction. His solutions were available within
the regions, but international financial assistance was needed to help
implement them. "What is also important is people's awareness and
their education on ways to respond to climate change."
Fiji's finance minister Mahendra Chaudhry, speaking during a panel
discussion on water financing issues, noted that in 2003 the South
Pacific nations had adopted a water governance programme in response
to rising sea levels, but implementing them has been a problem due to
lack of financial resources. "We are starved of resources in terms of
knowledge, governance and financing. I appeal to the financial
institutions to consider soft loan options to the small island
nations."
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40346
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