Climate Change Resilience
13 November 2013, UNFCCC COP 19, Warsaw Poland - As images of devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines flash across screens, the vulnerability of Pacific islands to extreme weather events hits home.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that increased storage of thermal energy in the tropical oceans from climate change will result in tropical cyclones increasing in their intensity.
It goes without saying then that the likelihood of extreme natural disaster events such as Super Typhoon Haiyan can be expected to occur more frequently in a future world where human induced warming of the oceans continues to grow.
With this in mind the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the negotiating group under which the Pacific island countries negotiate, is calling for the establishment of an international mechanism that will address the negative impacts associated with Loss and Damage from extreme events as well as slow onset impacts such as coral bleaching, sea level rise and ocean acidification.
Loss and Damage is a term heard often at the 19th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention to Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland.
It refers to a range of damage and permanent loss associated with unavoidable climate change impacts that cannot be avoided through mitigation or adaptation.
These can include impacts from extreme weather events such as tropic cyclones or flooding events and; slow onset events such as sea level rise and ocean acidification.
It was in Cancun, in 2010 (COP 16) that Parties to the UN Climate Convention were mandated to agree upon actions to implement that address loss and damage.
In Doha, last year (COP 18) Parties were given the mandate to use the Warsaw COP to establish the institutional arrangements under the Convention to address this important issue.
Ms. Malia Talakai, Nauru, Deputy Chief Negotiator, AOSIS
"The worst case scenario at this conference is that Parties do not respect the mandate we were given and we come up with an outcome that does not reflect the urgency that we are calling for," said Malia Talakai, of Nauru, the deputy chief negotiator for the Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS).
"This issue for us is urgent. We saw how the Philippines, Palau and Micronesia were hit just days ago by the typhoon. We have enough evidence, studies and data out there to now start this work. We can't afford to delay and continue talking."
For AOSIS, the elements of the suggested mechanism on Loss and Damage include a Risk Management Component that will help inform the insurance and rehabilitation or compensation component by promoting ideas and suggestions to calculate and reduce risk where possible.
An Insurance Component would see insurance payments for climate related damage and loss; and a Rehabilitation Component will provide financial assistance to the Pacific Island Countries to deal with the inevitable loss and damage caused by climate change.
The slow onset events are impacts from sea level rise, increasing temperature, ocean acidification, glacial retreat and related impacts, salinisation, land and forest degradation and loss of biodiversity and desertification.
"We want to prepare for climate change impacts that can happen, such as extreme weather events however when it comes to insurance coverage, which is limited in the Pacific for climate related events," said Talakai.
"While our region is doing what it can to adapt to climate change there comes a time when we have done all that is physically possible to do but our adaptive capacity is reached and we can do no more. This is when an international mechanism will help ensure our permanent losses are addressed."
Very few mechanisms currently exist to help the Pacific cope with the impacts of climate change. Adaptation funding is limited and as the climate impacts increase so will the adaptation costs. When it comes to insurance coverage, this is limited in the Pacific for climate related events.
There are current developments taking place under the Pacific Catastrophic Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative, which will likely help countries to better understand, model and assess their exposure to tropic cyclones and other extreme weather events. The option to replicate this to cover other extreme events and slow onset events will be considered.
"We have a challenging time ahead in the Loss and Damage negotiations as whatever is put in place will come with a big price tag, but the devastation in the Philippines from Typhoon Haiyan is felt by us all. We must come out of this with an agreement for the sake of our Small Island Developing States."
The UNFCCC COP19 is held in Warsaw, Poland from 11 to 22 November, 2014.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that increased storage of thermal energy in the tropical oceans from climate change will result in tropical cyclones increasing in their intensity.
It goes without saying then that the likelihood of extreme natural disaster events such as Super Typhoon Haiyan can be expected to occur more frequently in a future world where human induced warming of the oceans continues to grow.
With this in mind the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the negotiating group under which the Pacific island countries negotiate, is calling for the establishment of an international mechanism that will address the negative impacts associated with Loss and Damage from extreme events as well as slow onset impacts such as coral bleaching, sea level rise and ocean acidification.
Loss and Damage is a term heard often at the 19th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention to Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland.
It refers to a range of damage and permanent loss associated with unavoidable climate change impacts that cannot be avoided through mitigation or adaptation.
These can include impacts from extreme weather events such as tropic cyclones or flooding events and; slow onset events such as sea level rise and ocean acidification.
It was in Cancun, in 2010 (COP 16) that Parties to the UN Climate Convention were mandated to agree upon actions to implement that address loss and damage.
In Doha, last year (COP 18) Parties were given the mandate to use the Warsaw COP to establish the institutional arrangements under the Convention to address this important issue.
Ms. Malia Talakai, Nauru, Deputy Chief Negotiator, AOSIS"The worst case scenario at this conference is that Parties do not respect the mandate we were given and we come up with an outcome that does not reflect the urgency that we are calling for," said Malia Talakai, of Nauru, the deputy chief negotiator for the Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS).
"This issue for us is urgent. We saw how the Philippines, Palau and Micronesia were hit just days ago by the typhoon. We have enough evidence, studies and data out there to now start this work. We can't afford to delay and continue talking."
For AOSIS, the elements of the suggested mechanism on Loss and Damage include a Risk Management Component that will help inform the insurance and rehabilitation or compensation component by promoting ideas and suggestions to calculate and reduce risk where possible.
An Insurance Component would see insurance payments for climate related damage and loss; and a Rehabilitation Component will provide financial assistance to the Pacific Island Countries to deal with the inevitable loss and damage caused by climate change.
The slow onset events are impacts from sea level rise, increasing temperature, ocean acidification, glacial retreat and related impacts, salinisation, land and forest degradation and loss of biodiversity and desertification.
"We want to prepare for climate change impacts that can happen, such as extreme weather events however when it comes to insurance coverage, which is limited in the Pacific for climate related events," said Talakai.
"While our region is doing what it can to adapt to climate change there comes a time when we have done all that is physically possible to do but our adaptive capacity is reached and we can do no more. This is when an international mechanism will help ensure our permanent losses are addressed."
Very few mechanisms currently exist to help the Pacific cope with the impacts of climate change. Adaptation funding is limited and as the climate impacts increase so will the adaptation costs. When it comes to insurance coverage, this is limited in the Pacific for climate related events.
There are current developments taking place under the Pacific Catastrophic Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative, which will likely help countries to better understand, model and assess their exposure to tropic cyclones and other extreme weather events. The option to replicate this to cover other extreme events and slow onset events will be considered.
"We have a challenging time ahead in the Loss and Damage negotiations as whatever is put in place will come with a big price tag, but the devastation in the Philippines from Typhoon Haiyan is felt by us all. We must come out of this with an agreement for the sake of our Small Island Developing States."
The UNFCCC COP19 is held in Warsaw, Poland from 11 to 22 November, 2014.