Tuvalu family cites global warming on accepted refugee application

Terra Daily via UPI: On a refugee application recently accepted by New Zealand, a Tuvalu family claimed they'd be forced out by global warming if they returned home. It's the first instance of refugees citing climate change as one of the reasons for their displacement.

But this particular family could be the first of many if sea level rise continues at the rate many climatologists have predicted. Tuvalu is a tiny island nation in the Pacific, between Hawaii and New Zealand. At just 6 feet above sea level, Tuvalu is one of many island nations that could be nearly swallowed by the sea by the end of the century.

Even if sea level rise happens at only half the rate of more dooming predictions, these sorts of places could quickly become uninhabitable as their coasts become increasingly vulnerable to storms. This latest refugee case has many wondering: When will the floodgates for global warming refugees open?

As of now, climate change and sea level rise are not officially recognized as legitimate causes of displacement by the International Refugee Convention. And while the case of this Tuvalu family's application featured other circumstances -- the family had lived in New Zealand since 2007 and had strong ties to the community -- environmental lawyers have watched the situation closely, curious as to the case's larger implications....

Ocean on all sides. A landscape in Tuvalu, image by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade , Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons 2.0 license 

Tuvalu signs agreement for climate change project

Scoop (New Zealand): The Government of Tuvalu and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has today signed an agreement to continue to partner on climate change adaptation work in Tuvalu. This marks the commencement of the second climate change adaptation project in Tuvalu that responds to adaptation priorities outlined in the Tuvalu National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).

To a low-lying nation of Tuvalu that comprises nine atoll islands with a limited economic base, climate change is a real, existential threat, and the climate change adaptation is among the highest national priority. The project received US$4.2m from the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Government of Tuvalu will use the fund to address adaptation priorities in two sectors - coastal fisheries and disaster risk management.

Under a changing climate, coastal fisheries, which are an important source of food for Tuvaluans, are expected to undergo a significant productivity decline, bringing food security concerns to the fore. Extreme climate events, such as tropical cyclones, are expected to be more intense. The Government of Tuvalu, with support from UNDP and LDCF/GEF, will implement various measures to help people cope with such changes. They include strengthened community-based management of coastal fisheries, better monitoring of climate impact on such resources, enhancement of real time communications and early warning dissemination from the capital to all outer islands, and upgrading of evacuation facilities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour, Honourable Taukelina Finikaso said “Tuvalu will greatly benefit from this project in terms of its expected outcomes which will help adapting Tuvalu to the impacts of climate change.”...

The narrowest part of Funafuti, an island of Tuvalu, shot by lirneasia, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Views from the Frontline finds lack of engagement with local communities in disaster risk reduction

Makereta Komai in Pina.com via PACNEWS (Fiji): Lack of engagement and co-ordination between local authorities and communities in the Pacific on disaster risk reduction, is among a number of findings from a survey conducted by the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI). Titled, Views from the Frontline, the report gathers the views of stakeholders on the progress made by their countries on disaster risk reduction. It highlights where more action is needed and also build local level partnership to mobilise more effective action.

In the Pacific, FSPI carried out the survey in six Pacific Island Countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu), gathering views from the frontline, targeting community and local government representatives.

 There were five main recommendations centred on lack of participation and inclusion of local communities in disaster risk reduction planning and implementation. There were strong suggestions for partnerships between local authorities, communities and the private sector to make decisions on disaster risk reduction.

FSPI Regional Disaster Office, Jiuta Korovulavula presented findings from the Pacific at one of the plenary sessions at the UN Global Platform on disaster reduction conference in Geneva this week. “The lack of community participation is the situation across all the six Pacific countries.  At the same time, the poorest in the community are the most vulnerable to impacts of disaster.

“There are a lot of consistencies across the board. It is national and local government’s responsibility to provide service delivery. However, very little seems to reaching people in the community.  It falls back on how national delivery is planned and how resources are allocated on those plans. 

“We need to take a step back and fix those operational issues because if not, when we come to the end result, there will not be much progress in terms of the inclusion of vulnerable groups and communities in processes for their own development, Korovulavula explained to PACNEWS....

Iririki Island on Vanuatu, shot by Nicky, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

A giant cistern for Tuvalu

Scoop: A cistern that can hold 700,000 litres of water has been gifted to the community of Lofeagai in Tuvalu under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PACC). This will help build resilience and reduce vulnerability of the community when it comes to water shortages. Last year Tuvalu went through one of its driest spells ever with very little rainfall over an 8 month period, bringing the country into a national state of emergency.

It is challenges like these that the regional PACC project hopes to empower Pacific communities to address. “We frequently experience water shortage in Tuvalu so the PACC support has come at a critical time to help us tackle this and address these issues on the spot,” said the Tuvalu PACC Project Coordinator, Ms. Loia Tausi.

“Through this project, we have managed to give the people of Lofeagai a major reserve of 700,000 litres of water so they have this extra supply to fall back on in their time of need.”

The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project began in 2009 and spans 14 island countries, focusing on three key areas; food production and food security, coastal management capacity and water resource management. It helps countries identify a project under one of the key areas and strengthens education and awareness as well as develops a pilot project to build resilience and reduce vulnerability.

In Tuvalu water resource management was the priority area selected after much consultation. While the average person is estimated to consume 100 litres of water per day, in Tuvalu due to the water shortages they are limited to 40 litres per person per day. In times of extreme drought events this is lowered even further to 20 litres of water per person per day....

Sunset on Tuvalu, shot by INABA Tomoaki, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Australia, New Zealand in airlift to drought-hit Tuvalu

BBC: Australia and New Zealand are to airlift equipment to the Pacific nation of Tuvalu to help it deal with a severe water shortage caused by drought. Military planes from both countries will fly a large desalination unit to Tuvalu's main island of Funafuti.

New Zealand has already flown smaller units to Tuvalu but its foreign minister said more capacity was needed. Tuvalu has declared a state of emergency over the shortage, caused by the La Nina weather phenomenon.

It has not rained in the remote nation of about 11,000 people for more than six months, and there is no drinkable groundwater because rising seas have contaminated it. About half the population live on the main island of Funafuti, where water is being rationed.

"The advice is that more capacity is needed to relieve the acute water shortage and replenish stocks," New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said....

Tuvalu urges capacity building from Adaptation Fund Board

Stanley Simpson and Climate Pasifika Media Team in Scoop: Tuvalu’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Enele Sopoaga has urged the climate change Adaptation Fund Board to provide greater capacity building for islands that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “The issue of capacity is real and should be addressed seriously,” Sopoaga told Board chairman Farouk Khan.

“I urge the Board to conduct workshops training and awareness development at regional and national level to enable these countries to draft and come up with proposals that can be submitted for consideration. “

The Adaptation Fund Board approves funding to countries that meet the criteria for climate change adaptation projects. However Sopoaga pointed out that Small Island States were struggling to fulfill the eligibility criteria to access funds.

“In order for entities to be accredited as National Implementing Agencies they have to prove capacity for sound financial management and sound reporting practices among others – many of our small island countries don’t have that capacity because of our limited human capacity, and also our limited infrastructure,” said Sopoaga….

A beach at Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu, shot by Stefan Lins, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Tiny Tuvalu in 'save us' plea over rising seas

Adelaide Now (Australia): first nation likely to be overwhelmed by climate change wants Australia to take its population in a mass evacuation if sea levels keep rising. Tuvalu, in the South Pacific, is one of the world's lowest-lying countries and faces being inundated by rising tides linked to mankind's impact on the climate within a generation.

In a twist with far-reaching implications, Tuvalu Government officials and community elders are hoping in a worse-case scenario Australia will accept its 10,000 inhabitants. Tuvalu Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia visited Canberra in August in what Tuvalu officials described as a "secret visit" to float the migration plan with the Federal Government.

Under the plan, Tuvalu would be based in Australia but continue to function as a sovereign nation, in the hope of one day returning to its island home. The Tuvalu Government would continue to exercise its economic exclusion zone of about one million square kilometres and maintain its seat and vote at the United Nations.

…Such an unprecedented environmental evacuation could become the model for other low-lying nations such as Kiribati and the Maldives.

…A sophisticated tidal measuring gauge installed by the National Tidal Centre at Tuvalu's main port in 1993 shows the sea level there has been rising by 5.7mm a year. While this is relatively small, most of Tuvalu is just 1m above the high tide mark and water already bubbles up through the porous coral during high tides, flooding the land during king tides.

Location map showing position of Tuvalu in relation to Australia