Climate Change Resilience
The Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) project in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) celebrated a major achievement on 29 May, with the official opening of a climate-proof road on the island of Kosrae. The improved coastal road is designed to withstand high tides and heavy rainfall, with worsening conditions over the next decades factored into the engineering. As well as delivering a much-needed all-weather transport route for the people of Tafunsak municipality, the project serves as a regional demonstration of how coastal infrastructure can be climate-proofed.
The 7 km stretch of road was originally built to withstand a maximum hourly rainfall of 178 mm. But, according to FSM PACC Project Coordinator Mr Simpson Abraham, climate projections suggest that rainfall in FSM may become much heavier as a result of climate change. “We have carried out engineering works which included raising some sections of the road by up to one and a half metres, changing the specifications of the building materials, adding culverts and improving drainage,” he explained. “The road can now endure rainfall up to 254 mm/hour.”
[photo: Cutting the ribbon to open the climate-proof road. From left to right: Ms Louise Duterte of SPC, Mr Kosi Latu of SPREP, FSM Vice President Alik Alik, Kosrae Governor Lyndon H. Jackson, Tafunsak Mayor Jacob George, and the Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Mr Weston Luckymis.]
The importance of such climate proofing for island infrastructure was emphasised by guest speakers at the event, who included the Governor of Kosrae, Hon. Lyndon H. Jackson and the FSM Vice President, H.E. Alik Alik. Representing SPREP, Deputy Director General Mr Kosi Latu said, “the excellent work which we have witnessed with the PACC project here in Kosrae provides a platform for other similar infrastructure to follow. This pilot project has, I believe, many benefits and lessons which can be replicated in other parts of FSM and for that matter the rest of the Pacific.”
To help others replicate the success of their project, the FSM PACC team is developing guidelines based on the experiences with the Kosrae coastal road. These will be published and disseminated across the region as part of the PACC programme’s knowledge management drive. Experiences and lessons learned from the PACC project were also incorporated into the recently revised and endorsed Kosrae Shoreline Management Plan, which provides a comprehensive strategy for building resilience of Kosrae’s coastal communities and infrastructure into the future.
Reducing the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure is one of three focus areas for the regional PACC programme. Four of the 14 participating countries – FSM, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu – selected this as their priority issue for PACC investment. They have demonstrated a range of approaches, but a common theme has been the combination of community involvement and decision-making with state-of-the-art climate science and engineering. The other participating countries are demonstrating adaptation measures for food security and water resources management.
The PACC programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility and the Australian Government with support from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Climate Change Capacity Development (C3D+). The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the implementing agency, with technical and implementing support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Read more about the PACC project in FSM
The 7 km stretch of road was originally built to withstand a maximum hourly rainfall of 178 mm. But, according to FSM PACC Project Coordinator Mr Simpson Abraham, climate projections suggest that rainfall in FSM may become much heavier as a result of climate change. “We have carried out engineering works which included raising some sections of the road by up to one and a half metres, changing the specifications of the building materials, adding culverts and improving drainage,” he explained. “The road can now endure rainfall up to 254 mm/hour.” [photo: Cutting the ribbon to open the climate-proof road. From left to right: Ms Louise Duterte of SPC, Mr Kosi Latu of SPREP, FSM Vice President Alik Alik, Kosrae Governor Lyndon H. Jackson, Tafunsak Mayor Jacob George, and the Director of Transportation and Infrastructure Mr Weston Luckymis.]
The importance of such climate proofing for island infrastructure was emphasised by guest speakers at the event, who included the Governor of Kosrae, Hon. Lyndon H. Jackson and the FSM Vice President, H.E. Alik Alik. Representing SPREP, Deputy Director General Mr Kosi Latu said, “the excellent work which we have witnessed with the PACC project here in Kosrae provides a platform for other similar infrastructure to follow. This pilot project has, I believe, many benefits and lessons which can be replicated in other parts of FSM and for that matter the rest of the Pacific.”
To help others replicate the success of their project, the FSM PACC team is developing guidelines based on the experiences with the Kosrae coastal road. These will be published and disseminated across the region as part of the PACC programme’s knowledge management drive. Experiences and lessons learned from the PACC project were also incorporated into the recently revised and endorsed Kosrae Shoreline Management Plan, which provides a comprehensive strategy for building resilience of Kosrae’s coastal communities and infrastructure into the future.
Reducing the vulnerability of coastal infrastructure is one of three focus areas for the regional PACC programme. Four of the 14 participating countries – FSM, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu – selected this as their priority issue for PACC investment. They have demonstrated a range of approaches, but a common theme has been the combination of community involvement and decision-making with state-of-the-art climate science and engineering. The other participating countries are demonstrating adaptation measures for food security and water resources management.
The PACC programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility and the Australian Government with support from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Climate Change Capacity Development (C3D+). The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is the implementing agency, with technical and implementing support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Read more about the PACC project in FSM