8 August, Apia, Samoa – The final draft of a Research Roadmap was tabled before the Fifth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-5) for endorsement.
Officially titled the Pacific Climate Change Science and Services Research Roadmap, its main purpose is to develop and support a strategic approach in prioritising, coordinating and delivering important climate change science and services research in the Pacific.
For Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), key actors, partner organisations, and institutions – this Research Roadmap will help to guide and inform relevant priorities of key structures such as the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP, 2017-2030), the Pacific Islands Meteorological Strategy (PIMS 2017-2026), and the Pacific Roadmap for Strengthening Climate Services (PRSCS).
The Research Roadmap specifically addresses priority climate science and services research, such as traditional knowledge (that remains relevant over multiple-decade timescales) for both present and future climate change impacts and events.
“During PMC-3 and PMC-4, it was highlighted that there was a need for more climate science and services research,” said Ms Azarel Maiai, SPREP Capacity Development Officer of the Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac) Project.
“This Research Roadmap is a direct response to the request by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services on how we can bridge existing gaps and limitations in order to address the needs of our Pacific islands.”
The goal of the Research Roadmap is to provide strategic guidance for development and implementation of climate change science and services research in the Pacific. This will ensure more informed decision-making relevant to climate change adaptation and disaster risk management in the Pacific and enhance the resilience of our Pacific communities to climate change.
The Research Roadmap is based on six pillars, that will be accompanied by fixed term action plan to prioritise implementation across each pillar. These pillars are 1) climate change science; 2) climate change services; 3) traditional knowledge; 4) capacity development; 5) data and information management and; 6) governance: oversight and administration.
The Research Roadmap was endorsed by the PMC with many members, including partner organisations in the meeting, emphasising its importance.
The PMC-5 wraps up this Friday, 9 August where an outcomes statement is expected to inform the way forward for Pacific NMHSs over the next couple of years until the meeting convenes again in 2021.
The PMC- 5 is hosted in Apia, Samoa from 7 – 9 August.
The Fifth Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-5) follows a range of pre-PMC meetings which were held in Apia, Samoa from 29 July - 6 August, 2019. The PMC-5 is supported by a strong partnership between the following: The Government of Samoa, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Canada, Government of Korea, Climate Risk Early Warning Systems (CREWS), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), IMPACT Project, Varysian, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For more information on the PMC-5 please visit the Pacific Met Desk website https://www.pacificmet.net/pmc/meetings/pmc-5 or email Salesa Nihmei [email protected] or Azarel Maiai [email protected]