09 March 2012

Peace vigil at Vandenberg to target ICBM testing

By Janene Scully/Associate Editor janscully@lompocrecord.com | Posted: Friday, March 9, 2012 12:15 am

Nuclear weapon opponents will converge Monday to “Occupy Vandenberg” with a peace vigil from noon to 2 p.m. at the main gate, the culmination of a weekend retreat in Santa Barbara County.

Organizers expect 50 or more faith-based anti-nuclear protesters to attend the Pacific Life Community action.

“What we’re focusing on for this particular event is the testing of ICBMs,” said Occupy Vandenberg organizer Dennis Apel from Guadalupe Catholic Worker. “It pollutes the coastline here. It costs a ton of money and it pollutes the lagoon at the Kwajalein Atoll.”

Apel recently returned from an international trip that included six days on the Marshall Islands, which includes Kwajalein, and said he has talked with one woman who can’t return to her native island due to U.S. military actions there.

He traveled to one island where poverty is abundant, a stark contrast to the paradise setting for the island housing the U.S. Army’s facilities there.

Apel and other protesters contend that the treaty allowing the United States to use the area for a target has expired, pending completion of another environmental review which he claims the military will conduct. Marshall Islands residents want an independent review done, he added.

“It’s all very controversial for them,” he said.

The Pacific Life Community is a spiritual, nonviolent movement that works toward a peaceful world in harmony. The group sponsors regional and joint direct actions focused on ridding the world of nuclear weapons and war. Several organizations affiliated with the PLC include Catholic Worker, Nevada Desert Experience and Ground Zero.

Included in the weekend retreat is a public lecture titled “Your World: With or Without Nuclear Weapons” that begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Faulkner Gallery.

Speakers will be Joanna Macy, Ph.D., an eco-philosopher and activist for peace, justice and ecology; Santa Maria Valley resident Dennis Apel, a longtime community activist who has been arrested multiple times in protests at the base; and Paul Chappell, a West Point graduate, Iraq War veteran and peace leadership director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

Apel is no stranger to protests at the base. He was arrested in 2003 for throwing a plastic bottle of his own blood on the Vandenberg sign.

He missed last month’s protest at Vandenberg because he was in South Korea, lobbying against a military base. He and 10 others there for a peace conference were arrested for what he contends are false charges.

Monday’s protest at Vandenberg is the culmination of an annual gathering by the Pacific Life Community and comes more than two weeks after 15 people were arrested in a similar action at Vandenberg.

Pacific nation may buy Fiji land as climate refuge by Nick Perry, AP

**FILE** Tarawa atoll, Kiribati, is seen in an aerial view on March 30, 2004. (Associated Press)

Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribatiare considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji.

Kiribati President Anote Tong told The Associated Press on Friday that his Cabinet this week endorsed a plan to buy nearly 6,000 acres on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. He said the fertile land, being sold by a church group for about $9.6 million, could be insurance for Kiribati’s entire population of 103,000, though he hopes it will never be necessary for everyone to leave.

“We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it,” Tong said. “It wouldn’t be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them, moving won’t be a matter of choice. It’s basically going to be a matter of survival.”

Kiribati, which straddles the equator near the international date line, has found itself at the leading edge of the debate on climate change because many of its atolls rise just a few feet above sea level.

Tong said some villages have already moved and there have been increasing instances of sea water contaminating the island’s underground fresh water, which remains vital for trees and crops. He said changing rainfall, tidal and storm patterns pose as least as much threat as ocean levels, which so far have risen only slightly.

Some scientists have estimated the current level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 2 millimeters (0.1 inches) per year. Many scientists expect that rate to accelerate due to climate change.

Fiji, home to about 850,000 people, is about 1,400 miles south ofKiribati. But just what people there think about potentially providing a home for thousands of their neighbors remains unclear. Tong said he’s awaiting full parliamentary approval for the land purchase, which he expects in April, before discussing the plan formally with Fijian officials.

Sharon Smith-Johns, a spokeswoman for the Fijian government, said several agencies are studying Kiribati’s plans and the government will release a formal statement next week.

Kiribati, which was known as the Gilbert Islands when it was a British colony, has been an independent nation since 1979.

Tong has been considering other unusual options to combat climate change, including shoring up some Kiribati islands with sea walls and even building a floating island. He said this week that the latter option would likely prove too expensive, but that he hopes reinforcing some islands will ensure that Kiribati continues to exist in some form even in a worst-case scenario.

“We’re trying to secure the future of our people,” he said. “The international community needs to be addressing this problem more.”

Tong said he hopes that the Fiji land will represent just one of several options for relocating people. He pointed out that the land is three times larger than the atoll of Tarawa, currently home to more than half ofKiribati’s population.

Although like much of the Pacific, Kiribati is poor — its annual GDP per person is just $1,600 — Tong said the country has plenty of foreign reserves to draw from for the land purchase. The money, he said, comes from phosphate mining on the archipelago in the 1970s.

29 February 2012

Missile Test Protest Action

I want to say thank you to those who stood against the missile tests this past weekend. It is one of the most shameful practices of the United States' government, particularly after the human rights violations of the Bikini Atoll debacle. It was also totally surreal to live on Ebeye and witness these killing machines fall from the sky so close to us.

Largest Demonstration and Civil Resistance against U.S. Missile Test
in almost 30 years
by Jim Haber, Coordinator, Nevada Desert Experience

The United States Air Force test-launched a first-strike,
nuclear-capable Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) early in the morning on February 25 despite the largest
anti-test demonstrations in almost 30 years. The launch took place in
the dark fog of night at 2:46 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base
(VAFB) on the central California coast to the other end of the Ronald
Reagan Missile Range in the Marshall Islands over 4000 miles away.

Testing warhead, bomb and delivery systems all violate the spirit of
working towards nuclear disarmament to which the United States has
obligated itself. The February 24 protest began at 5 minutes to
midnight—the current setting of the “Doomsday Clock” of the Federation
of American Scientist's Bulletin of Atomic Scientists—in the hopes
that public pressure would force President Obama to turn away from his
pro-nuclear budget (with increases for both nuclear weapons and
power). The test-launch of ICBMs makes hypocrites of U.S. foreign
policy planners who demand a stand down of nuclear ambitions from
countries we're hostile to, while furthering the upgrade of our own
weapons of mass destruction. The quantity and quality of U.S. nuclear
weapons dwarf all others; we must not wait for other nations to pull
back but must increase the rate of dismantlement of our own nuclear
weapons.

Daniel Ellsberg, who as a military analyst for the RAND Corporation in
the 1960s developed strategic plans for the Secretary of Defense
MacNamara and who later leaked the lies of Vietnam war planners in
what became known as the Pentagon Papers, crossed the line at the base
and was taken into custody along with 6 other men and 8 women in an
act of civil resistance. “They cannot be allowed to test these
lightning rods of doomsday without arresting American citizens. We
need to push this. It takes public pressure through education and
public protest,” Ellsberg said at the rally before entering the base.
Twenty-nine years ago, Ellsberg was also arrested at VAFB with
hundreds of others who went into the back-country of the huge base to
disrupt launch plans for another ICBM, the MX missile which ultimately
was not deployed, largely due to public pressure. Ellsberg continued
by stating, “No one in this country should have their hands on the
destruction of the world. We can't trust these folks with the future
of humanity.”

(As a student at nearby UC Santa Barbara, the author also went
back-country in 1983 at Vandenberg and was arrested along with
Ellsberg and 55 others at the U.C.S.B.'s administration building in
opposition to the continued management of the U.S. national weapons
laboratories by the University of California.)

Ellsberg also pointed out that Cold War deterrence was based on
various lies and mistakes like when U.S. plans were based on the
thought that the U.S.S.R. had 1000 missiles but actually only had 4 at
that time. Current war plans continue to be based on
misrepresentations, including those regarding Iraq, Iran, North Korea
and the ongoing nuclear programs of Israel, Pakistan and India.

Our peace actions and civil resistance at VAFB, and at the Nevada Test
Site, Y-12 Plant in Tennessee and elsewhere in the expanding nuclear
“bombplex” all are part of an international effort to wake up the
public and our leaders to the immorality, illegality and stupidity of
maintaining nuclear capabilities. The U.S. program encourages
horizontal proliferation. All nuclear weapons must be eliminated.
“Theirs” are bad; ours are at least as horrific. The move to make
ICBMs dual use—meaning they carry nuclear or non-nuclear
warheads—further increases nuclear danger by potentially confusing
adversaries into thinking they're under nuclear attack.

Quotes by Martin Luther King, Jr. are sadly and prophetically apropos
in many situations. In this moment two stand out: “The choice is not
between violence and nonviolence, but between nonviolence and
nonexistence.” Also, “I could never again raise my voice against the
violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without first having spoken
clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my
own government.”

With about a hundred demonstrators braving the damp cold of the
designated protest area outside of Vandenberg, other important
attendees crossed the line in “anti-test”: David Krieger, founder of
the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and his wife Carolee committed their
first-ever acts of civil resistance and were exhilarated by the
experience. Cindy Sheehan who's son was killed as a soldier in Iraq
and who has become an outspoken peace activist also was cited and
released. Judy Talaugon, a grandmother and descendant of the local
Chumash people blessed and welcomed the protesters. Importantly, Paul
O'Toko, an elder from Micronesia and founder of Indigenous Stewards
International, brought a sizable group including several of his
children although they did not engage in the trespass itself. Fr.
Louis Vitale OFM, a frequent presence at VAFB and other demonstration
sites said, “I would gladly give my life even to delay a missile
launch.”

The last test-launch of a Minuteman III was a rare failure
necessitating the destruction of the missile mid-flight. A subsequent
test scheduled for September 21, 2011, the U.N.-designated
International Day of Peace, was postponed as a growing chorus of
international opposition was decrying the contradiction of a
peace-loving nation testing such a thing on that special day.

The next test-launch is now scheduled for March 1, extremely soon
after last Saturday's test. March 1 is the anniversary of the tragic
“Bravo” test of a hydrogen bomb in the Bikini atoll for which the
swimwear received its name due to the brightness of the 20 megaton
blast. That test dropped radioactive fallout on the people of
Rongelap, leading to catastrophic health and genetic problems that
continue to this day, necessitating the on-going evacuation of their
island. It also sparked the Japanese anti-nuclear movement which had
been prevented to exist under the U.S. occupation that followed World
War II. The Lucky Dragon fishing vessel, a Japanese ship, was also
caught in the fallout of the March 1 test, another day that deserves
to be retired from nuclear development plans. (And don't they all?)

Jim Haber is the Coordinator of Nevada Desert Experience (NDE) in Las
Vegas, Nevada which organizes interfaith resistance to nuclear weapons
and war. He is also on the National Committee of the War Resisters
League.

Video of line crossers taken by videographer Ben Johnson with Occupy
Santa Barbara:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YiU6waGOU or shorter url:
http://is.gd/vafbp

Photos of the Vandenberg demonstration taken by Mary Lou Anderson and Jim Haber:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimhaber/sets/72157629458207405/

21 September 2010

FSM Vulnerability Assessment | Regional | Solomon Islands News

FSM Vulnerability Assessment

BY SECRETARIAT OF THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY

The government of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has carried out climate vulnerability assessments on 14 atoll islands in the states of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap.

A total of eight survey teams covered the areas of marine environments, soils, pests and diseases, forests, trees and vegetation, agriculture and land use, water, response management, and socio-economic factors.
This was done to fulfill United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) requirements for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties (developing countries).

Mr Jaleso Mateboto, Community Forestry Technician with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Land Resources Division, led the forest & vegetation survey team.

'Non-Annex I Parties should provide a description of their national and regional development priorities, objectives and circumstances, on the basis of which they will address climate change and its adverse impacts.''This description may include information on features of their geography, climate and economy which may affect their ability to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects, as well as information regarding specific needs and concerns arising from the adverse effects of climate change and/or the impact of the implementation of response measures,' Mateboto said.

He noted that information on national circumstances provides the opportunity for detailing the national or regional development priorities, objectives and situations that serve as the basis for addressing issues relating to climate change.

'Information provided on national conditions is critical for understanding a country's vulnerability, its capacity and its options for adapting to the adverse effects of climate change, as well as its options for addressing its greenhouse gas emissions within the broader context of sustainable development.

'Parties could also include information on the linkages between the activities and policies relating to climate change and those of other conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Combating Desertification.'

The FSM government, through its Climate Change Project, requested assistance (technical and financial) from international and regional organisations to assist in this vulnerability assessment.

In responding to the need and the request of the FSM government on vegetation survey assistance, the Forests and Trees (FAT) programme of SPC's Land Resources Division assisted in the design of the survey/monitoring plots, survey coordination and carrying out the actual field survey on the 14 atolls.

The teams lived on the ship MV Caroline for 22 days in March and April to complete the task.

FAT, in collaboration with SPC staff based in Pohnpei and Noumea, assisted FSM in collecting information in the following areas:
. Geographical characteristics, including climate, forests, land use and other environmental characteristics.
. Population - growth rates, distribution, density and other vital statistics.
. Economy, including energy, transport, industry, mining, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, waste, health and the services sector.
. Education, including scientific and technical research institutions.

In using the agreed design for monitoring, assessment, reporting for sustainable forest management, strips of 100 m x 10 m were established and assessed. The survey work also served as a capacity building exercise for FSM as Forest Officers from all four states worked with the SPC FAT officer for 22 days.

17 September 2010

Governor Asks Coral Reef Task Force for Help With Buildup

Guam - Governor Felix Camacho addressed the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force in Saipan Wednesday.

The task force was created by Presidential Executive Order in 1998 to coordinate federal government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Read the Governor's Speech

In his address, Governor Camacho asked the task force to assist our island in the following areas related to the impending Guahan build-up: (1) the need of our local natural resource agencies to build capacity; (2) to urge the Department of Defense to seriously consider the comments submitted for the Final Environmental Impact Statement; and (3) to help local departments and agencies develop mitigation strategies and techniques for our coral reefs.

“Our ability to manage our resources and infrastructure during the build-up and beyond will affect our island and our families for generations to come,” said Governor Camacho. “Our efforts will be wasted if the build-up is not handled in a manner that respects the people of Guahan and the natural resources we rely on.”

Additionally, Governor Camacho spoke on the importance of the Micronesia Challenge in anticipation of the build-up.

“For Guahan, our natural resource partners have been focusing on more complete approaches to conservation – working with land-based pollution sources, fishermen, developers, and the community to address the issues we face today,” said Governor Camacho. “The key to the Micronesia Challenge, and conservation in general, is to ensure that these steps are effective.”

The Micronesia Challenge, co-founded by Governor Camacho in 2006, has committed to the conservation of at least 30% of the near shore marine and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020.

For additional information, please contact Charlene Calip at 475-9304 or 788-0589, or you may e-mail charlene.calip@guam.go

16 September 2010

Saipan Tribune

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Islands brace for military buildup's impact on reefs

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Island nations and partner U.S. agencies have made some progress in protecting their coral reefs in recent years but they are faced with yet another challenge: how to minimize or prevent a massive military buildup from impacting the marine ecosystems not only of Guam, but also that of the CNMI, Palau, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, and other islands.

This was among the key issues in yesterday's opening of the two-day 2010 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting at the Saipan World Resort in Susupe.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force is one of the foremost policy groups guiding national and international coral reef conservation.

Task Force co-chairs Eileen Sobeck of the Department of the Interior and Andrew Winer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration joined representatives of federal agencies and governors of U.S. territories and affiliate members at the meeting, which showcased coral reef conservation work, watershed restoration projects, and climate change adaptation strategies, among other things.

Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho said the military buildup “is the largest threat to coral reefs on this island.”

The military buildup involves the relocation of some 8,600 U.S. Marines and their 9,000 dependents from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam.

It also involves the construction of facilities and infrastructure to support training and operations on Guam and Tinian for the relocated Marines.

“I stress that our ability to manage our resources and our infrastructure during the military buildup and beyond will affect our island and our families for generations to come. The efforts of local natural resource managers will be wasted, if the military buildup is not handled in a manner that respects the people of Guahan [Guam] and the natural resources we rely on-for sustenance, for economic viability, for our culture, and for our way of life,” Camacho said.

One of three major projects related to the military buildup in Guam is a deep-draft wharf for transiting aircraft carriers.

The U.S. Navy earlier chose the Polaris Point in Guam's Apra Harbor as its preferred site for a carrier berth.

This would require some extensive dredging of sand and coral to accommodate the 1,325-foot wharf, designed for the larger Nimitz-class carriers, a “turning basin” in the harbor, and a widened ship channel.

Mitigation strategies

Camacho, in his remarks, asked the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to help Guam come up with the best possible mitigation strategies for its coral reefs during this time of immense change and growth in the island.

“The members have the ability to direct resources to this important and urgent task, and techniques and strategies developed for Guahan could have future uses in other locations facing major development as well,” he said.

Capt. Peter S. Lynch, commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, said yesterday that the Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement related to the buildup will not reflect a final decision on the location for a carrier berth because there's no consensus yet about the location.

Lynch, one of the presenters at the task force meeting, said the Department of Defense will defer a decision until after getting additional resource data.

He said DOD has identified funding to conduct additional studies that will take place in fiscal year 2011. Lynch said a decision will be based on data and studies that everybody agree on.

But Lynch pointed out that coral reefs are impacted by a lot of things, including runoff from a construction site or wastewater treatment that's not properly treated and could create algae plumes.

“There are the things we need to do regardless of whether we put the carrier here or there,” he added.

The Record of Decision on the Guam and CNMI Final EIS, which Lynch said could only be about 160 pages, will be released on Sept. 20, instead of the earlier schedule of Sept. 10.

The Navy said the delay is necessary to ensure that all comments received on the Final EIS are fully considered in the Record of Decision. In addition, the consultation processes under the National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act are still ongoing.

Economic benefits

Just like Guam, other islands look to economic benefits of increased military presence in the region but are at the same time bracing for its impact on the environment, including their coral reefs, which help sustain their economy and way of life.

Palau House of Delegates Speaker Noah Idechong said Palau expects to have increased number of soon-to-be Guam-based military personnel and their dependents visiting the island nation for diving and snorkeling, but he said “the downside is the impact on coral reefs.”

“It's a challenge for us,” he told Saipan Tribune in an interview during a break at the meeting.

Idechong said Palau has been investing in educational campaign on protecting coral reefs.

Palau also started collecting in November 2009 a so-called “green fee” from visitors, to be used for preserving protected areas.

The CNMI is also looking forward to increased military training on Tinian, as well as increased visits from military personnel and dependents for rest and recreation.

Climate change

American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono said preparing for and mitigating climate change is the greatest global challenge facing the world today.

He said in American Samoa alone, the challenge is to protect resilient corals that are most likely to survive in the face of climate change.

Tulafono has also established a Climate Change Executive Order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a Climate Change Local Action Strategy that integrated the climate change goals of the national Coral Reef Conservation Program with the local level.

'We're denied FEMA aid'

A tsunami hit the Samoan archipelago in September last year, killing people, destroying properties, displacing residents, and impacted the reefs.

“What some of you may not know is that our coral reefs suffered a second blow due to inadequate relief. Following the tsunami, large amounts of debris littered our reefs. Removal of the larger debris items is beyond the capacity of the American Samoan government, both in the expertise and the limited capacity of our landfills,” Tulafono said.

He said American Samoa repeatedly asked FEMA to directly assist NOAA by obtaining supplemental funding to remove the debris by activating Emergency Support Functions of the National Response Framework.

“However, we have been consistently denied on multiple accounts due to the loose interpretation of the ESFs by FEMA. Ladies and gentlemen, let me be frank. While it may sound like that this is about our last disaster and our issues with FEMA, they are not. This is not just about American Samoa. Anyone of our jurisdiction can experience a disaster such as our tsunami of 2009, and suffer the same consequences as us,” he said.

Tulafono asked the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force two things.

The first is the need to provide a formal U.S. position that coral reef health is indeed a public health issue for the people of American Samoa and the other insular jurisdictions.

“This would enable the Stafford Act to provide FEMA funding for coral reef restoration activities to address damage caused by natural disasters,” he said.

The second is the FEMA response requirement that differs for jurisdictions outside of the continental U.S., requiring a natural disaster declaration while there is an automatic response initiation for natural disasters occurring within the continental U.S.

“In conclusion, I am confident about the future of the work of this task force. And together, we can continue to enhance conservation strategies and limit threats to coral reef ecosystems, as already demonstrated by the USCRTF and Coral Reef Conservation Program,” he added.

Micronesian Challenge

CNMI Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said while the region has made great strides in the past decade, there continues to be considerable challenges ahead, particularly in coral reef protection efforts and the impact of climate change.

“Today, we will place considerable attention on the Micronesia Challenge-a commitment by the governments of the CNMI, Guam, FSM, RMI and Palau-to address the very issues of coral reefs and climate change,” he said.

The Micronesia Challenge calls for the protection of 30-percent of the islands' marine resources and 20-percent of terrestrial resources by the year 2020.

“The actions we take now to protect, restore and sustain our coral reef ecosystems will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of our Micronesian region, both economically and culturally. While it is clearly impossible for us to stop the forces of nature, we must remain firm in our commitment to be adequately prepared for what is to come long before it arrives. At the end of the day, it is people who make the difference,” he added.

Vangie Lujan, chair of the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee, said island territories now have more access to federal agency assistance when it comes to coral reef protection.

09 September 2010

Saipan Tribune

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Coral Reef Task Force preps for upcoming confab

By Clarissa David
Reporter

The Coral Reef Task Force of the CNMI's accomplishments and programs to protect the islands' marine life was the highlight of last Tuesday's membership meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan at Giovani's Restaurant at the Hyatt.

“Since the Task Force has started, they have passed more than 60 resolutions,” CNMI Coral Reef point of contact Fran Castro told Rotarians.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force was established in 1998 by former President Bill Clinton through Presidential Executive Order 13089.

Twelve federal agencies and seven states, territories, and commonwealths were tasked to lead efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Among these resolutions, Castro said, the biggest one is the Puerto Rico resolution “which calls for local action strategies to be developed in each of the local core jurisdiction.”

When the Puerto Rico resolution passed in 2003, Castro said the CNMI Coral Reef Task Force had a workshop for all stakeholders and resource agencies to identify focus threat areas or action strategies for the islands.

Through the workshop, Castro said they were able to identify land-based sources of pollution, fishery management, lack of awareness and public involvement, and recreational use and misuse as areas that need to be addressed through the Coral Reef Conservation funding.

Castro said the task force has received over $3 million since 2003to deal with these threats.

She said the CNMI Coral Reef Program was formed under the Governor's Office, comprising a policy committee, the point of contact for coral reef matters, a science advisory committee, and a coordinating committee.

The policy committee is composed of the directors of the Division of Environmental Quality, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Coastal Resources Management.

The advisory committee deals with all the ongoing monitoring efforts while the coordinating committee prioritizes the projects needed to protect coral reefs.

Castro said the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will hold its meeting on Saipan from Sept. 15 to 16 at the Saipan World Resort.

The meeting, which is hosted by the governments of Guam, CNMI and the Federated States of Micronesia, will focus on the Micronesia Challenge initiative signed in 2006.

“It's an initiative signed by the governments of Guam, CNMI, Republic of Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Our goal is to protect or effectively conserve 30 percent of our marine resources and 20 percent of our terrestrial resources,” said Castro.

To achieve this goal by its 2020 target date, Castro said they have taken a watershed approach by concentrating on Laolao Bay, Garapan, Tachogna, and the northeast Tinian coast watersheds.

Programs

Publication and outreach coordinator Lisa Eller said they have various programs that address these conservation efforts, which include the Ridge to Reef Eco Camps, the Coral Reef Internship, the First Friday Film Series, and coastal cleanups.

Through Ridge to Reef, Eller said they are able to foster environmental friendly actions from fourth to sixth graders by taking them to conservation areas and helping them experience the importance of conservation during a weeklong summer camp.

For the Coral Reef Internship program, Eller said they provide opportunities to college students to work on coral reef management projects to build local capacity and deal with natural resource management issues.

Eller said the First Friday Film Series is a partnership with the National Park Service and aims to engage people in addressing issues documented in the films being shown every first Friday of the month at the American Memorial Park.

Eller also said the International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 25 aims to draw volunteers from the CNMI to participate in the worldwide cleanup of beaches and coastal areas.

21 April 2010

Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

even though it seems the effects of global warming and ocean-rise are still far away, they are already being felt. avc

[from Deutsche Welle, DW-WORLD.DE]

Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

Soon a thing of the past? - the pristine Palau islands in the Pacific

Rising sea levels threaten to submerge Pacific island nations such as Micronesia. But early signs of disaster, like increasingly saline groundwater and dwindling freshwater reserves, are already visible.

Last fall, island nations made a dramatic appeal to industrialized countries: "My country is on the verge of being submerged," Emanuel Mori, the president of Micronesia, told representatives of the European Union at the time. He demanded that western countries finally rethink their climate policies.

Island states like Micronesia have been hit particularly hard by global warming, primarily through rising sea levels. There are real fears that the country could disappear from the world map in the not-too-distant future.

Rising water levels are threatening Micronesia's coastlines

The signs of the looming disaster are already there: rising sea levels have mixed salt water with the groundwater in several areas. That, in turn, is shrinking drinking water reserves and making it harder to irrigate agricultural land. The high level of salinity has poisoned the ground and made it infertile for years.

"It's a particularly tough situation for small island nations," Juergen Kropp of the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research said. He added that these nations already had limited groundwater reserves.

Island states not the only ones affected

But it's not just places like Micronesia that are grappling with the problem of increasing salinity in the groundwater. Many other regions with long coastlines, for instance the Gaza Strip, are faced with similar problems.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most crowded places in the world, and that dense population puts great pressure on the region's water supply. Experts say it is another important cause of saline groundwater.

"Sea water can only intrude in places where water has been drained previously," Kropp said. If groundwater turns saline, he said, it shows that more groundwater was used than can be replaced.

More demand for water can lead to rising salinity in groundwater

Philip Magiera of the state-funded GTZ development organization in Germany said there are two ways to tackle the issue - either by increasing the existing water supply, or by limiting demand for it. "I'm a big fan of water efficiency," Magiera said.

There are lots of examples of how water usage can be reduced, he said, particularly in the agricultural sector. In many regions, up to 70 percent of the groundwater is used to irrigate fields. But with systems such as drip irrigation, it's possible to save large quantities of water.

Water wastage a major problem

Often, a lot of water is simply wasted on the way to the end consumer. Many countries struggle with leaky piping systems. In such cases, experts say, it makes more sense to first fix the leaks before more water is pumped into the system.

"Even in households, there are often possibilities to save water," Magiera said.

Effective use of water can also be achieved through economic measures such as regulating water prices.

If all water-saving measures are exhausted, then increasing fresh water reserves is the only option. If water cannot be imported, then the sea water must be desalinated.

"Technically, that's not a problem anymore today," said Kropp. Sea water desalination is practiced in countries such as Israel or Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates are almost entirely dependent on desalinated sea water.

The UAE meets its needs for freshwater through desalination plants

But one of the problems that can crop up is that desalination plants are highly energy-intensive. And that energy is largely achieved in the Middle East by burning fossil-based fuel. That releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and in turn accelerates climate change.

Traditional solutions

Desalination plants have been set up in places like Micronesia. But these are mostly small plants with very low capacities. Bigger installations are too expensive. And there's a lack of energy reserves to power them.

Magiera said that in this case, the answer would be to turn to traditional measures - such as harvesting rainwater - instead of high-tech solutions.

Author: Philipp Bilsky (sp)
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn

29 September 2009

RMI President Speaks to UN

Click here to listen to RMI President Litokwa Tomeing address the UN General Assembly about the effect of Climate Change on the islands of the Marshalls:

http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/MH.shtml

Pacific Island Leaders Plea for UN Climate Action

Island Nations in the Pacific are Reaching Out to the Countries of the World, Requesting That We All Do Our Part to Help Save Their Lands.

Many spoke at the UN yesterday:

President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Litokwa Tomeing
Prime Minister of Vanuatu Edward Natapei
Deputy Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Fred Fono
Tonga's Prime Minister Doctor Fred Sevele
President Marcus Stephen of Nauru
President Johnson Toribiong of Palau
Fiji's interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama
Emmanuel Mori, the President of the Federated States of Micronesia
Kiribati President, Anote Tong