Elisabeth A. Holland

Connecting the dots: policy connections between Pacific Island shipping and global CO2 and pollutant emission reduction

The relationships between the global discourse on emissions reduction, particularly in regard to international shipping, and the need for more sustainable Pacific Island sea transport services are discussed. Renewable energy applications for such shipping are not currently considered in the drive to reduce fossil fuel dependency in the region. The domestic Pacific Island shipping scenario and international shipping and emissions reduction efforts are summarized. Data availability is limited; however, the authors extrapolate from Fiji data to give a ‘best guess’ of the likely range of emissions produced by the Pacific Island shipping and argue that reduction targets are achievable based on results of experiments in the last oil crisis. Five policy areas are identified that connect the local need with the global discourse and give rise to the promotion of sustainable, low-carbon maritime transport for this unique region.

Mapping the economic costs and benefits of Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) and Mangrove Rehabilitation Projects (MRP) in Solomon Islands: a study of two MPAs and one MRP

This paper reports a study of costs and benefits of Coral Triangle Initiatives (CTI) and Mangrove Rehabilitation Projects (MRP) in the Solomon Islands. It was observed that the communities have different attitudes and perceptions toward climate change challenges. The different scales and magnitudes of climate change impacts that are perceived at these sites, and the different subsistence realities make them have varied responses and points of view regarding such impacts. For instance, respondents from Oibola experienced the most adverse impacts from climatic change events compared to those living in the Naro and Sairaghi sites. Introduction of CTI and MRP has driven the villagers to travel out far from their traditional fishing grounds to catch enough fish to sell and support their families. This implies higher fishing costs and time for commute. From a social perspective, this weakens the communal bond in the community. In spite of these trade-offs, the respondents expressed satisfaction with the level of benefits received from the projects, which included the rehabilitation of the ecosystems and breeding grounds for fish and habitats around the area. We mapped the costs and benefits of these projects to the villagers, and although no amounts or figures were disclosed, the benefits are compared against corresponding costs. One key factor for the success of the initiatives was the cooperation and involvement of recipient villagers, and even including the management MPAs.

Limits and Barriers to Transformation: A Case Study of April Ridge Relocation Initiative, East Honiara, Solomon Islands

Increasing vulnerability to extreme environmental events (EEEs), exacerbated by climate change, is making adaptation inevitable for rural communities in Small Islands Developing states (SIDs), including the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Particularly the communities’ located along the coastal areas that are experiencing sea level rise and coastal erosions, storm surges and flooding. Governments and development agencies across the Pacific have begun to implement adaptation policies to climate change at the community level to build resilience. This paper reports what limits and barriers rural household face for long-term adaptation, using community relocation from Mataniko Riverside to April Ridge, East Honiara, Solomon Islands, as a case study. Two hundred forty six (246) families were affected by the flash flood of Mataniko Riverside in April 2014. The Solomon Island government offered flood victims plots of land in an area safe from flooding. As of July 2015, the date of the study, the relocation process had been stalled, with flood victims still waiting for the promised plots of land. Questionnaires, oral interviews and focus group discussions with flood victims identified vulnerability, flood prone area and changing weather patterns as major limits, and government failures and the socioeconomic reality of these households as major barriers to adaptation. The study determined government failures to include a complicated land tenure system, absence of infrastructure development at the new site, inconsistent commitment to ensure completion of the land transfer to the settlers, and the lack of access to credit. Socioeconomic attributes including insufficient income, lack of formal education and skills, and consequential limited livelihood alternatives, also act as crucial barriers. The research findings indicate the need to design a relocation policy that addresses the limits and barriers identified here, specifically the land tenure system, and the financial support available to facilitate the relocation process.