Why a Pacific Focus on Climate Change?

Climate Change is one of the most real and serious threats to you, me, our families, homes, animals, forests, lagoons, food, health and safety! You name it - climate change will somehow affect it!

In fact, climate change threatens our very survival as nations and undermines our sustainable development as Pacific islands and communities.

The smallness of our islands and our reliance on natural resources makes our region among the most vulnerable, economically and ecologically, to the impacts of climate change.

2009 is an especially important year for climate change as the world prepares for talks in Copenhagen in December to agree on new agreements to stabilise and reduce production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to levels that will help slow down the rate of climate change.

But, regardless of the outcome in Copenhagen, we must deal with the fact that our climate is changing and its impacts are already being felt in the Pacific and elsewhere.

The overarching theme for the Pacific Year of Climate Change: “Our Century’s Challenge, our Pacific response,” highlights the fact that Pacific people and nations cannot rely on others but need to work together to address the challenge of living with a changing climate. So let’s put on our thinking caps and unite to deal with change! Our very survival depends on it!

Let’s take the lead and take real action to deal with climate change. Click here to find out what you can do right now!