Transcript Presentation - Regional Policy Briefings

Building resilience through
adaptation and mitigation strategies
and actions
Espen Ronneberg
Climate Change Adviser, SPREP
[email protected]
Contents
• The policy context
• The role of SPREP
• Existing activities of SPREP to address climate
change in adaptation and mitigation
• Building resilience
• Conclusion
The Pacific Policy Context
Pacific Climate Change Round Table (PCCR)
- Brings together Pacific governments, key
agencies, donor partners and civil society groups
working on climate change in the Pacific
- Originates from Pacific Islands Framework for
Action on Climate Change (PIFACC)
- Meets biennially
- Agrees on common priorities and actions for the
region with working groups on mitigation,
adaptation, resources, knowledge
SPREP’s actions in support of PICs
Policy Context:
• Practical implementation and policy support
• Continue to support members countries to
engage in relevant international and regional
policy contexts
– On site technical policy support
– Inputs into relevant processes
– Convener of international and regional experts
Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change
(PACC)
• Implemented in partnership with GEF (Special
Climate Change Fund), UNDP, Australian
Government, USAID and UNITAR
• Assists 14 Pacific Island countries/territories to
address national adaptation needs in water,
food security and coastal infrastructure
• Each country is focussing on one of the three
sectors
...PACC
3 key components:
– Mainstreaming of adaptation concerns into key
sector specific and national level policies
– Capacity building & Awareness raising at the
national level to implement climate change
adaptation
– Demonstration projects to pilot the
implementation of adaptation options
Climate Change Adaptation and
Disaster Risk Reduction actions
Joint National Action Plans (JNAPs)
- Most disasters in the Pacific are climate
related (floods, cyclones, storm surge,
drought, health outbreaks etc)
- A coordinated response at the national level
to address climate change adaptation (CCA)
and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
- Pools together scarce resources and expertise
JNAPS
• SPREP works in partnership with national
governments and regional agencies
(Secretariat of the Pacific Community, UNDP
etc)
• Cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach
• Endorsed at the highest levels (Cabinet)
Ecosystem-based Adaptation
• Reduces vulnerability while maintaining secondary ecosystem
services
• Supports livelihoods and sustainable development
• Increases resilience by promoting healthy ecosystems
Ecosystem based Adaptation Example:
Planting coastal vegetation to reduce storm surge
Primary service:
•Reduce coastal flooding
Secondary services:
•Fish habitat and nursery
habitat increased
•Sediment stabilization
•Source of firewood
•Carbon sequestration
•Nutrient and sediment
trapping
Ecosystem based Adaptation Example:
Planting hillslope vegetation to reduce land slides
Primary service:
•Reduce land slides
Secondary services:
•Downstream and nearshore
water quality regulation
•Source of firewood
•Carbon sequestration
•Habitat for fauna
(biodiversity, food source)
Ecosystem based Adaptation Example: Planting
stream and wetland vegetation to reduce flooding
Primary service:
•Reduce flash flooding and
riverbank erosion
Secondary services:
•Downstream and nearshore
water quality regulation
•Source of firewood
•Carbon sequestration
•Habitat for fauna
(biodiversity, food source)
Greatest benefit to cost ratio with a
focus on ecosystem maintenance
Considerations for Ecosystem based
Adaptation options:
• can be integrated with other approaches in an adaptation plan
• are frequently highly cost effective
• are included in the NAPAs of many Pacific countries
• do often need greater explanation of benefits
• are likely to increase in protection over time
• can provide protection while sustaining livelihoods
• provide greater ownership of solutions – using local knowledge/ skills
7. Estimating values of Ecosystem Services
Only a few of these services had data available to estimate value
Ecosystem Service values in Lami
over a one year time frame
This is clearly an underestimate due to lack of available data
Mitigation actions
• Pacific Island Countries contribute minuscule
GHG emissions – 0.03% if taken as a whole
• Nevertheless, energy efficiency and renewable
energy are vitally important socio-economic
factors that benefit the PICs, and there are strong
ancillary environmental benefits
• It is also a powerful message to the international
community that the most vulnerable and least
responsible are taking concerted actions
• Consideration is also being given to adaptation
requirements in mitigation projects
Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement
through Renewable Energy - PIGGAREP
• Participating PICs – 11 PICs (Cook Is, Fiji, Kiribati,
Nauru, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Is, Tonga, Tuvalu
and Vanuatu)
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Donor – GEF
Budget – US$5.23 million
Duration – July 2007 to June 2012 (5 years)
Major Objectives – Remove the technical, market,
financial, institutional, policy and awareness barriers to the
widespread utilisation of feasible RE technologies in the
PICs
[picture slides to come – too large to
send]
Challenges for PIGGAREP
• Provides funding for “soft” aspects –
feasibility, surveys, planning, tech
identification
• Working with partners (SPC, IUCN, SIDS Dock)
to implement those outcomes on the ground
• Continuation of the programme is needed
past 2013, linked to Nationally Appropriate
Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and other
national priorities
Other mitigation initiatives
• Biogas production in Samoa – anaerobic
digester, using human and animal waste, and
other organic waste
• Biogas from coconut husks in Samoa –
compression gasification of waste husks
• NAMA guidelines for PICs developed and
“tested” in Cook Islands, for presentation of
results to COP 18
Conclusion
• Climate change is of vital importance to the PICs, the
threats and challenges existential
• The region, supported by CROP, are taking major action
on adaptation and mitigation, as well as advancing
science and knowledge on climate change
• Resilience is being built both through adaptation and
mitigation, and in having better informed and aware
communities
• Further support, especially in accessing technical and
financial resources, for capacity building and
institutional strengthening are required
SPREP Members
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Federated States of
Micronesia
Fiji
France
French Polynesia
Guam
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
United States of America
Vanuatu
Wallis and Futuna
Kommol tata!
Faafetai tele lava!