 |
| Simpson Abraham, the National Coordinator of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project in FSM |
29
November 2012, Doha, Qatar
– Kosrae, one of the Federated States of Micronesia, was featured during a
special event coordinated by the United Nations University, on Loss and Damage
at the UN Climate negotiations in Doha.
The State has prepared a case study based on the loss and damage due to
the coastal impacts upon the residents, from sea level rise and storm surges.
Loss
and Damage refers to a range of damage and permanent loss associated with certain
climate change impacts under the United Nations Framework for the Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC). These can
include impacts from extreme weather events such as tropic cyclones or floods,
as well as from slow onset events such as sea level rise or ocean
acidification.
70%
of Micronesia’s population and infrastructure is located on the coast. In Kosrae the residents are experiencing
damage to their houses and infrastructure, affecting their crops and trees, as
well as a loss of beaches.
“In
our study that visited 363 households, 87% of the people we surveyed
experienced coastal erosion with 80% of them saying it affected their
household,” said Simpson Abraham, the National Coordinator of the PacificAdaptation to Climate Change Project in FSM.
The
project is working to improve the existing coastal road design reinforcing them
with new drainage solutions which take into account flooding risks from
increased rainfall and sea level rise.
“When
we asked people if they were adapting to climate change, 92% said the measures
are not enough and will entail extra costs and 40% haven’t done anything to
adapt to climate change, they lacked resources or just didn’t know what to do.”
Some
of the adaptation options that households did carry out include building
seawalls, filled land to fortify the coast, planted trees and elevated their
homes.
Other
case studies presented at the side event were from Bangladesh that looked at
loss and damage from salinity, Bhutan that focused on changing monsoon
patterns, The Gambia centering on drought, Kenya on the 2011 floods, and
Micronesia on loss and damage associated with coastal erosion.
“One
query that was directed to me was – what are you doing as far as adaptation in
the future?” said Abraham.
“We
have no choice. We need to look to the
international arena for support as the funds we have not is not enough to
address the adaptation needed in Kosrae.
The PACC is a pilot project, we need to look beyond that and this is
where we are seeking support from the international community.”
Under
the UNFCCC, the Pacific through the Alliance of Small Island States has been
advocating for the establishment of an international mechanism that would
address the negative impacts associated with Loss and Damage.
The
United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security hosted
the side event on Loss and Damage on Monday, 26 November at the Qatar National
Convention Centre.
