The Pacific Northwest in the United States is experiencing unprecedented heat wave this week. Washington State and Oregon have recording historical temperature highs, never before recorded in the typically cooler climates of the Northwestern states. “This heat wave is what climate change looks like. Quite frankly, this is one of the most unusually extreme weather […]

    The Boe Declaration, published by the 49th Pacific Islands Forum in 2018, stated, “We reaffirm that climate change remains the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific and our commitment to profess the implementation of the Paris Agreement.” According to a UN report, at least 57 […]

On July 9th, the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) project was launched by the European Union at the Pacific Climate Change Center in Apia, Samoa. ClimSA will be used to manage climate risks and encourage sustainable development throughout the Pacific. The European Union has invested approximately EUR 9 million into ClimSA, which will operate from […]

The 2nd annual Pacific Resilience Meeting, sponsored by the Pacific Resilience Partnership, took place from July 5 through July 8. This year’s theme was “Our People, Our Journey: Nurturing Pacific Resilience from Home.”  The Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP) was established in 2017 by Pacific Island leaders as part of governance arrangements to support the Framework […]

On June 30, the Pacific island of Nauru sent a letter to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) stating plans to begin deep-seabed mining in two years. The announcement triggered a rule within the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, forcing its governing body, the ISA, to evaluate Nauru’s proposal and develop regulations within […]

Bougainville’s leaders set a deadline of 2027 to gain full independence from Papua New Guinea Tuesday during talks on the future of the once-wartorn Melanesian island. A resounding 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted to secede from Papua New Guinea and become the world’s youngest nation in a 2019 referendum. The poll capped a 2001 peace […]

Journalists from across the Pacific focused on the role of traditional knowledge in reporting on climate change during a Media Masterclass on the sidelines of the Pacific Resilience Meeting 2021. The journalists are taking part in the Media Masterclass hosted by the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS) in partnership with The Pacific Community. On Monday, […]

Over the 2010s, interest in Environment, Social, and Government (ESG) style investment has skyrocketed, due to concerns over climate change, environmental destruction, and the simple growth of “green” businesses. Long considered a fringe element of the global trading scene, green finance has moved into the mainstream. Even despite the massive dip in overall trading caused […]

A study jointly conducted by IPEN and the Biodiversity Research Institute found elevated levels of mercury in women from small island states and countries ranging across the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Caribbean.  The study sampled 757 women between the ages of 18 and 44, from 21 different territories and countries including Fiji, […]

American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa are both experiencing historically high number of ‘hot days’ this decade according to the latest report by the Pacific Islands Climate Regional Assessment team. The Scientists found that for American Samoa the number of hot days has increased from 9 in the 1960s to 22 days per […]