Wednesday, August 20, 2008

UN to Help Pacific Island States Fight Climate Change

NEW YORK, New York, August 19, 2008
Environmental News Service (ENS)


Coconut palms on the island of Niue in the South Pacific
(Photo by Ekrem Inozu)
(ENS) - The United Nations and Samoa plan to establish an Inter-Agency Climate Change Centre to help coordinate support to Pacific Island countries to combat the impact of global warming in their region.

Given the direct impact of climate change on vulnerable countries in the region, the new agency will focus its support on the mitigation, adaptation and reduction of the risk of disaster facing the Islands, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said today in a message to the Pacific Islands Forum Summit meeting, held in Alofi, Niue.

The main theme of this year's summit is climate change, as the effect of global warming is a threat to food security and safety of island communities.

Coconut palms on the island of Niue in the South Pacific (Photo by Ekrem Inozu) Many Pacific Island countries are already experiencing sea level rise as a consequence of climate change.
Several UN agencies already collaborate with the Pacific Islands Forum, assisting on issues from farming and fisheries to urbanization.

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