Report of the Planning Workshop for the Kosrae, FSM Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project

Abstract

One of the major concerns for Kosrae State’s development now and into the future is the risk of climate change. The Fourth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change states that the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level1. Resilience and sustainability needs to be systematically built into Kosrae’s key economic and climate sensitive sectors in order to withstand current and future changes in climate. The vulnerability of Kosrae and other FSM states is clearly documented in FSM’s Initial Communications to the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Other key documents of importance on the issue are the State and National Sustainable Development Strategies and other key regional documents such as the climate and disaster frameworks.