10 April 2007Fiji Live
Some Pacific Islands including Fiji are already experiencing the effects of climate change, according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Penehuro Lefale, a scientist with the New Zealand Meteorological Service told the AAP that some Pacific Islands were expected to struggle with the effects of climate change. "What we are seeing in the models is that by the end of this century we are going to have El Nino-like conditions, meaning there will be dryness to the island west of the region -from Fiji spreading out to Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and of course parts of Australia, "Lefale said. "Water resources, food security, fisheries, human health and tourism will be likely to be impacted," he said. Lefale, who led a study into small islands for IPCC, released his findings to journalists in New Zealand today. A statement from the NZ Met Service said some of the observed climate trends included more hot days and warm nights, and significantly fewer cool days and cold nights, particularly in years after the onset of El Niño, 1961-2003. Future climate change projections include more rainfall is projected during summer months, with likelihood of more frequent heavy rainfall events. The number of intense cyclones is likely to increase, though the total number of cyclones overall may decrease on a global scale. "Overall, this assessment confirms and strengthens previous observations reported in earlier IPCC assessments that small islands are highly sensitive to climate change and sea level rise. It found adverse consequences of climate change and variability is already a reality for many inhabitants of small islands," said Lefale. The IPCC is a collaboration of more than 2,500 climate change scientists and 130 governments.
