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Palau Climate Services and Coordination Workshop

As part of Pacific RISA’s UNEP CIS-Pac5 research program on climate information and early warning systems, the team convened a Sector-based Climate Services and Coordination Workshop in Koror, Palau from February 26 to March 1, 2024. The workshop was funded by the Green Climate Fund and hosted by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Pacific RISA, and the University of Hawaii in partnership with the Palau Ministry of Finance Bureau of Budget and Planning, Palau Office of Climate Change, and the Palau Weather Service Office.

Participants at the Sector-based Climate Services and Coordination Workshop included President Surangel Whipps of Palau and US Ambassador to Palau Joel Ehrendreich, center.

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Invasive Species Threaten US Climate Change Resilience

Invasive species are a significant threat to climate-preparedness and resilience, according to a new white paper prepared for the US Department of the Interior by the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). The paper, Invasive Species Threaten the Success of Climate Change Adaptation Efforts, addresses one of the most critical intersections between invasive species and climate change—where invasive species are posing a direct threat to natural climate solutions and climate resilience—and provides recommendations for action at the federal level. Read More

Fifth US National Climate Assessment Release

Pacific Confronting Growing Climate Change Impacts, Official US Assessment Finds

Adapted from the East-West Center Press Release 

Among the findings of the Fifth US National Climate Assessment, released by the White House, are that climate change in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands worsens inequities and threatens unique island ecosystems, along with cultural resources, human health, livelihoods, the built environment, and access to clean water and healthy food. The assessment concludes that adaptation strategies incorporating local and Indigenous knowledge can improve the resilience of Pacific Island communities, and that efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit climate change impacts are now underway in every US region, including the Pacific Islands. Read More

“Te Ara Moana” – International Ocean Science, Policy and Law Conference, Mo’orea

In September 2023, PI Dr. Victoria Keener and Project Specialist Chelsey Bryson traveled to Mo’orea, French Polynesia to attend the semi-annual International Ocean Science, Policy and Law Conference. The conference was organized by the Jon Van Dyke Institute (JVDI) and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, and the theme was Te Ara Moana, or “ocean pathway.” The meeting encompassed a range of sessions dedicated to blue pathways to island sustainability. It also served as the inaugural meeting of the Pacific Islands Marine Stations Association (PIMSA), created by JVDI to provide a vehicle for collaboration on ocean science and data, to disseminate information about funding and research opportunities, and to elevate young scholars and researchers. Read More