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There is now a consensus that there is a discernible human influence on global climate. The form these global changes will take in the Pacific is far less certain, but the most significant and more immediate consequences are likely to be related to changes in rainfall regimes and soil moisture budgets, prevailing winds (both speed and direction) and in regional and local sea levels and patterns of wave action.

Principles for designing marine protected area (MPA) networks that address social, economic, and biological criteria are well established in the scientific literature. Climate change represents a new and serious threat to marine ecosystems, but, to date, few studies have specifically considered how to design MPA networks to be resilient to this emerging threat. Here, we compile the best available information on MPA network design and supplement it with specific recommendations for building resilience into these networks. We provide guidance on size, spacing, shape, risk spreading (representation and replication), critical areas, connectivity, and maintaining ecosystem function to help MPA planners and managers design MPA networks that are more robust in the face of climate change impacts.

The High-Level Conference which Italy has the honour of hosting and which today I have the honour of inaugurating, represents an extraordinary opportunity for reflection and commitment on crucial issues of our time and is already a significant event on account of such a distinguished attendance, notably of Heads of State and Government. I read this as a sign of awareness and renewed willingness on the part of the leadership of all continents and. together with the world organizations, of the international community as a whole.

The challenge is far-reaching, comprehensive, and global: but it is manageable. The activities and technologies necessary to eliminate the bulk of the risks associated with climate change are already available, or can be developed through appropriate policies to support innovation. Policies must be designed and applied carefully. Badly implemented policies can create additional market distortions, introduce perverse incentives, and foster protectionism. Care must be taken to ensure that additional policies are not simply layered on top of existing bad policies, such as distortionary energy market subsidies, trade restrictions, or agricultural policies. Where possible, policies must encourage market-based solutions, minimise transactions costs, and stimulate reform of existing distortion mechanisms.

It is now widely acknowledged within the scientific community that the global rate of sea- level rise is quickening - and is likely to continue to do so — as a result of anthropogenic climate change. It is expected, therefore, that any resulting increase in the frequency or intensity of extreme sea-level events will cause serious problems for the inhabitants of low- lying coastal communities and islands during the 21st century.

The Earth currently finds itself in the midst of what some have termed the "Anthropocene Era" - a period during which human activities have become a dominate force affecting not only the planet's landscape, but also its atmosphere. Since the dawn of the industrial evolution of the mid-18th century, humans have contributed to substantial increases in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has increased by 36%, methane by 17%, and nitrous oxide by 151%. These changes in the global atmosphere are directly linked to over two centuries of growth in the burning of fossil fuels by humans. The increase of these gases is warming the world. Temperatures have increased by approximately 0.8°C since 1880, the global sea-level is rising, and Earth is already committed to additional global warming and climate change in the years ahead.

Beginning with the 1972 Stockholm Summit on Sustainable Development, the links between economic, social and environmental aspects to achieving sustainable development have received increasing attention. The Rio Conventions (biodiversity, climate change and desertification) infused new life into providing global and national frameworks to integrate environment into national development Efforts to advance such commitments, to make this planet a better place to live and to ensure that development does not deprive people of their basic minimum livelihood needs, has led countries to develop a set of measurable goals and targets to achieve sustainable development during the United Nations General Assembly (UNCA) in 2000. These goals, termed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), currently form the basis of all debates and discussions on development around the world. In 2005, the UNGA adopted a set of detailed targets related to Goal 7 on environmental governance which aimed at significantly reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity by the year 2010 (Target 7 B)1. This Target is supported by two indicators for monitoring progress, namely, the proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected and the proportion of species threatened with extinction. While there has been eagerness from the UN Member States to achieve the eight MDGs by the year 2015 since the Millennium Declaration was signed in 2000, concerns are mounting as to whether the goals, targets and indicators set out are realistic in terms of measuring and monitoring for concrete results.

This publication demonstrates the link between disaster riskreduction andclimate change adaptation, while contributing to the ongoing glolal effort to promote gender equality in socio-economic development.

The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 suggests that limiting the global mean temperature increase to less than 3 degrees Celsius could be achieved at a loss of only about 0.1 percentage point of GDP per year on average (OECD, 2008). Market-based instruments are forecast to play a dominant role in any effective strategy that minimises economic costs and enables equitable burden sharing, but in addition to these instruments, climate change negotiators are eying international governmental transfers to support developing countries in their mitigation efforts and encourage technology transfer.

This article briefly outlines the cause of global warming, its trends and consequences as indicated by the International Panel on Climate Change. Sea-level rise is one consequence of particular concern to Pacific island states. It also reviews the views of economists about connections between economic growth and global warming. Whereas the majority of economists did not foresee a conflict between economic growth and global warming, the possibility of such a conflict is now more widely recognized following the Stem Report. International efforts, such as through the Kyoto Protocol, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their atmospheric concentration are discussed and prospects for post-Kyoto policies are considered. It is predicted that a significant reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions is unlikely to be achieved in the foreseeable future due to conflicting national interest (a prisoners' dilemma problem) and because is will take time to develop new technologies which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, payment for greenhouse gas emissions (for example, via tradable permits) will accelerate desirable technological advance. Both international political action and efforts to develop and use technologies that lower greenhouse gas emissions need to be pursued. Given current and likely increases in greenhouse gas emissions, continuing global warming in this century appears to be inevitable and consequently Pacific island states will be adversely affected by sea-level rise and climate change. How they will be affected and to what extent is discussed together with their ability to cope with the emerging problem Ways are also examined of addressing the consequences for Pacific island states of global warming.