Articles and reports relating to climate change and how it effects Kiribati
The Kiribati Climate Change National Adaption Program of Action Report: 2007
World Bank, "Climate Smart’ World Within Reach, says World Bank", Press Release No: 2010/068/DEC, September 15, 2009
World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change, released in advance of the December meetings on climate change in Copenhagen, says that advanced countries, which produced most of the greenhouse gas emissions of the past, must act to shape our climate future. ...
“The countries of the world must act now, act together and act differently on climate change,” said World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick. "Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change – a crisis that is not of their making and for which they are the least prepared. For that reason, an equitable deal in Copenhagen is vitally important.”...
Developing countries will bear most of the costs of the damage from climate change. Many people in developing countries live in physically exposed locations and economically precarious conditions, and their financial and institutional capacity to adapt is limited, says the report. Already, policymakers in some developing countries note that an increasing amount of their development budget is being diverted to cope with weather-related emergencies. ...
Developing countries, particularly the poorest and most exposed, will need assistance in adapting to the changing climate. ...
“Developing countries face 75-80 percent of the potential damage from climate change. They urgently need help to prepare for drought, floods, and rising sea levels. They also need to intensify agricultural productivity, contain malnutrition and disease, and build climate-resilient infrastructure,” said Justin Lin, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President, Development Economics.
World Bank, "Cities, Seas & Storms: Managing Change in the Pacific Islands Economies; Volume IV: Adapting to Climate Change; Executive Summary", 2000, pp. 1-18
As the 21st century begins, the Pacific Island people confront a future that will differ drastically from the past. Their physical climate, access to resources, ways of life, external relations and economic structures are undergoing simultaneous and interactive change. Pacific Island countries can actively engage in foreseeing and managing the process of adaptation to these changes, or they can have unplanned adaptation imposed on them by forces outside their control.
Note that the figures in this report are based on methodologies that have now been outdated, the actual rate of climate change and associated damage has far exceeded estimates, and the figures here are now 10 years old.
World Bank, "Cities, Seas & Storms: Managing Change in the Pacific Islands Economies; Volume IV: Adapting to Climate Change; Chapter 4. Impact of Climate Change on Low Islands: Tarawa Atoll, Kiribati", 2000, pp. 19-26
Note that the figures in this report are based on methodologies that have now been outdated, the actual rate of climate change and associated damage has far exceeded estimates, and the figures here are now 10 years old.
Tarawa (30 km2) is very vulnerable to sea level rise. Most of the land is less than 3 meters above sea level, with an average width of only 430450 meters (Lands and Survey Division undated). While Tarawa lies outside the main cyclone belt, it is susceptible to storm surges and to droughts, particularly during La Niña events.
Science News, "The presidents of two island nations draft escape plans, anticipating sea level rise", by Cristine Russell, February 28th, 2009; Vol.175 #5 (p. 24)
The Maldives and Kiribati highlight a hidden challenge for coping with climate change. It’s not just about slowing the emissions of greenhouse gases. It’s also about figuring out what to do for localities threatened with the possibility of extinction from rising ocean waters. “They are like the canary in the coal mine in terms of the dramatic impact of climate change on a whole civilization of people,” says Harvard University biological oceanographer James J. McCarthy, past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “They didn't cause the problem, but they will be among the first to feel it.” Jump to article...
Report by the Government of Kiribati: Initial Communication under the UNFCCC 1999 - September 1999
UNDP Report : Kiribati - A Climate Change Reality - December 09, 2009
