Read the original news stories posted by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, here, the Pacific Daily News, here, and the Pacific RISA, here.

Climate change is adding new layers of complexity to the economic and environmental challenges Pacific Islands already face. Rising air temperatures, coral bleaching, threatened infrastructure, and stronger typhoons are some of the most severe impacts the Republic of Palau, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will face under a changing climate. The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA) is a consortium of government, NGO, and research entities that, with funding support from the Pacific Islands CASC, led the development of the reports “Climate Change in Palau: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors”, "Climate Change in Guam: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors" and "Climate Change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors", which describe climate change impacts in Palau, Guam, and the CNMI. The report highlights the impacts of climate on human health, ocean warming, sea-level rise along low-lying coastal infrastructure, typhoon strength and more. These reports provide science information for decision-makers seeking to better understand how climate variability and change impact the Pacific Islands region and its peoples.  

“Making informed decisions from the best available science is vital and the catalyst for appropriate planning and effective resilience building. This report provides a glimpse of key issues that we need to be aware of and what they mean for Palau,” said Erbai Xavier Matsutaro, Palau’s National Climate Change Coordinator.

This publication is the latest in a series of reports by PIRCA that are funded in part by the Pacific Islands CASC.

This news announcement was written by Gina Fiorile, National CASC Science Communication Specialist.