Pacific Media Team of SPREP

By Halitesh Datt, Fiji TV

5 July, 2013, Nadi, Fiji - As high level climate change and weather related talks continue in Nadi this week, the role of the media has also been highlighted.

A media team consisting of journalist from and around the region are working hard to disseminate information of what is happening behind the closed doors, to the region.

This team was brought to Nadi by the Samoa based Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Our reporter Halitesh Datt who is also part of this team spoke to a few journalist on how the media is tackling the issue of climate change.

For the past seven years Bill Jaynes has been the managing editor for Kashelelei Press in the Federate States of Micronesia.

It was only until recently that he realised the important role that he can play in relaying climate change stories to the public.

 Bill Jaynes- Editor- The Kashelelie Press, FSM

This is the media team brought together by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Sini Latu, a Tongan journalist admits that climate change related stories are given quite a low priority by her newsroom.

 Sini Latu, Tonga Broadcasting Commission

However the Secretariat is working hard to change this.

Through its media outreach program, SPREP has manage to fill some of these gaps in climate reporting in the region.

 Nanette Woonton, Media and Public Relations Officer, SPREP

The Secretariat has also done a baseline survey to find out the level of understanding of Pacific reporters on climate change.

The survey revealed that there is a need to continue with such media outreach prgrammes.

Nanette Woonton, Media and Public Relations Officer, SPREP

As many more such meetings to come in future, these journalists are tasked with reporting on informing the public about climate change.

PTWC work to continue design warning change

By Halitesh Datt, Fiji TV

5 July, 2013, Nadi, Fiji - The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre will continue its work in the region says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA, which looks after the Centre say the only change is that the region will be provided with advisories instead of warnings.

Warnings will be provided by individual country tsunami warning centres.

Edward Young, NOAA

The Centre will continue to provide the region with important weather related data.

A decision on whether P.T.W.C will provide warnings for countries without tsunami centre of their own will be made in Russia where Pacific Tsunami System will meet in September.

Edward Young, NOAA

Fiji to look after its own tsunami warning

By Halitesh Datt, Fiji TV

5 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji - With the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre soon to cease issuing tsunami warnings for the region, Fiji like other Pacific Island countries will have to beef up its own resources.

That means the Mineral Resources Department will have to be operational 24 hours throughout the week.

This in turn may require government to pump in more resources to the M.R.D to provide timely warnings.

 Rajendra Prasad- Inter-governmental Oceans Commission

The Former Fiji Meteorological Director says this move will avoid unnecessary panic during a tsunami warning.

Rajendra Prasad- Inter-governmental Oceans Commission

Climate Finance Assessment Framework

Halitesh Datt, Fiji TV

5 July, 2013, Nadi, Fiji - In order to assess the challenges and some of the issues that Pacific Island Countries are facing in climate financing, the Pacific Islands Forum has come up with a Climate Finance Assessment Framework.

In 2010 Forum leaders proposed to look at options to improve access to and management of climate finance in the region.

This involved a broad assessment of challenges, sources, interaction between climate finance and development.

This framework has already been applied in Nauru with positive results.

 Coral Pasisi - Regional and International Issue Advisor - PIF'S

There are six dimensions of this framework that came out of Nauru and can be applied to all the countries.

These are Assessing the available sources of finance, looking at policy framework, institutional capacity and arrangement, public financial management and expenditure, human capacity assistance and development effectiveness.

Pasisi says this framework gives Pacific countries a better understanding of its own context of climate financing.

Met data vital for success of Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Projects

By Halitesh Datt, Fiji TV

5 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji - Having correct and up to date meteorological data is crucial in decision making, particularly here in the region, where many climate change related projects are underway.

Representatives of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) are in Nadi this week attending the Pacific Meteorological Council, where the importance of meteorological data to their work has been highlighted. (More on PACC below)

PACC Coordinator, Taito Nakalevu says climate data is crucial for any climate change project in the region.

Taito Nakalevu, PACC,  Project Coordinator

The PACC project in the Cook Islands has also found the importance of meteorological data for its project assessments.

Its pilot project on the island of Mangaia aims to build the resilience of the coastal community, including infrastructure.

Paul Maoate, PACC, Cook Islands

 For another small atoll island, Niue, maintaining water supply is crucial.

And that is one area that PACC is working on for the island of 2000.

PACC's water resource management program in Niue is focussing on developing rain water collection.

PACC is providing water tanks to each household.

Hadan Talagi, PACC, Niue

 Niue is also looking at weather data dating 50 years back to establish forthcoming weather trends in the country.

Hadan Talagi, PACC, Niue

In Vanuatu the PACC project is engaging communities to identify solutions for environmental challenges.

PACC Vanuatu’s coordinator says this has been done through extensive consultations.

Ian Iercet, PACC, Vanuatu

The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Australian Government (AusAID), with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as its implementing agency and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as implementing partner. The project is from 2009 to 2013. 

The PACC project covers 14 participating countries and helps develop three key areas that build resilience to climate change in Pacific communities: Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands focus on Food Production and Food Security; Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Tokelau and Vanuatu are developing Coastal Management capacity; and Nauru, Niue, Republic of Marshall Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu are looking to strengthen their water resource management.