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Energy and Poverty in the Pacific Island Countries - Challenges and the way forward

Island and Ocean Ecosystems

UNDP

Challenges and the way forward for Pacific Island countries

Learning about climate change the Pacific way: a guide for Pacific teachers - Tuvalu

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Lebars, Jipe

Sabass, Hanna

Young, Carol

The aim of this guide is to deliver nationally prioritise key messages relevant to climate change science, the effects of climate change on the Pacific and options to mitigate its causes and to adapt to expected changes.

SPREP Factsheet - What is SPREP?

SPREP Publications, Island and Ocean Ecosystems

Available Online

SPREP

Factsheet on SPREP, what it is and who its member states are, etc.

Learning about climate change the Pacific way: a guide for Pacific teachers - Fiji

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Lebars, Jipe

Sabass, Hanna

Young, Carol

The aim of this guide is to deliver nationally prioritise key messages relevant to climate change science, the effects of climate change on the Pacific and options to mitigate its causes and to adapt to expected changes.

Learning about climate change the Pacific way: a guide for Pacific teachers - Kiribati

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Lebars, Jipe

Sabass, Hanna

Young, Carol

The aim of this guide is to deliver nationally prioritise key messages relevant to climate change science, the effects of climate change on the Pacific and options to mitigate its causes and to adapt to expected changes.

Evaluation of storm surge risk: A case study from Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Climate Change Resilience

de Scally, Fes A.

This study reports on a preliminary assessment of storm surge risk from tropical cyclones at Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Analysis of a 175 year record of cyclones from the Cook Islands indicates minimum annual probabilities of 16% for storm surges and 5% for major storm surge impacts at Rarotonga. Storm surges have historically inundated areas of the coastal lowland where virtually all human activities and infrastructure are currently located. The impacts of such events have been particularly severe in the Cook Islands' capital of Avarua and adjacent communities on the north coast of Rarotonga. Detailed infrastructure mapping combined with analysis of historic storm surge impacts and cyclones tracks in the vicinity of Rarotonga indicates that the storm surge risk is greatest along the north coast where the majority of the Cook Islands' government functions and commercials, industrial, transportation and communication infrastructure is located. Damage to this infrastructure at the shoreline can have serious repercussions throughout the Cook Islands. Any efforts to increase the country's resilience to such impacts must be undertaken within the larger goal of adaptation to future climate changes and rising sea levels. The greatest risk presently to human life arises from many cyclone safety centres in locations where they are exposed to storm surges or flooding. A top priority should be relocation of these shelters to safer locations further inland so that they can provide suitable shelter from storm surges and flooding as well as tsunamis, taking into account other hazards presented by Rarotonga's rugged topography.

Leachate from microplastics impairs larval development in brown mussels

Island and Ocean Ecosystems

Gandara e Silva, Pablo Pena

Gusmão, Felipe

Nobre, Caio Rodrigues

Pereira, Camilo Dias Seabra

Resaffe, Pryscila

Microplastic debris is a pervasive type of contaminant in marine ecosystems, being considered a major threat to marine biota. One of the problems of microplastics is that they can adsorb contaminants in extremely high concentrations. When released from the particle, these contaminants have the potential to cause toxic effects in the biota. So far, reports of toxic effects are mostly linked with the direct exposure of organisms through ingestion of contaminated microplastics. There is little information on the toxicity of leachates from microplastics to marine organisms. In this study, we conducted experiments to evaluate the toxicity of leachates from virgin and beached plastic pellets to embryo development of the brown mussel (Perna perna). We compared the efficiency of two test procedures, and evaluated the toxicity of beached pellets collected in a coastal marine protected area.We observed that mussel embryo is sensitive to leachate from both virgin and beached pellets. However, the toxicity of the leachate from beached pellets was much higher than that of virgin pellets.We suggest contaminants adsorbed onto the surface of beached pellets were responsible for the high toxicity of leachate from beached pellets, while the toxicity of leachate from virgin pellets was mainly due to plastic additives. Our results suggest microplastic debris may be harmful even if ingestion is not the only or main pathway of interaction of marine organisms with contaminated plastic debris.

Association of metals with plastic production pellets in the marine environment

Ashton, Karen

Holmes, Luke

Turner, Andrew

Plastic production pellets sampled from four beaches along a stretch of coastline (south Devon, SW England) and accompanying, loosely adhered and entrapped material removed ultrasonically have been analysed for major metals (Al, Fe, Mn) and trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Mo, Sb, Sn, U) following acid digestion. In most cases, metal concentrations in composite pellet samples from each site were less than but within an order of magnitude of corresponding concentrations in the pooled extraneous materials. However, normalisation of data with respect to Al revealed enrichment of Cd and Pb in plastic pellets at two sites. These observations are not wholly due to the association of pellets with fine material that is resistant to ultrasonication since new polyethylene pellets suspended in a harbour for 8 weeks accumulated metals from sea water through adsorption and precipitation. The environmental implications and potential applications of these findings are discussed.

Adsorption of trace metals to plastic resin pellets in the marine environment

Waste Management and Pollution Control

Holmes, Luke A.

Thompson, Richard C.

Turner, Andrew

Plastic production pellets collected from beaches of south west England contain variable concentrations of trace metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) that, in some cases, exceed concentrations reported for local estuarine sediments. The rates and mechanisms by which metals associate with virgin and beached polyethylene pellets were studied by adding a cocktail of 5 mg L1 of trace metals to 10 g L1 pellet suspensions in filtered seawater. Kinetic profiles were modelled using a pseudo-first-order equation and yielded response times of less than about 100 h and equilibrium partition coefficients of up to about 225 ml g1 that were consistently higher for beached pellets than virgin pellets. Adsorption isotherms conformed to both the Langmuir and Freundlich equations and adsorption capacities were greater for beached pellets than for virgin pellets. Results suggest that plastics may represent an important vehicle for the transport of metals in the marine environment.

Policy Brief - Protected Areas: Natural Solutions to Climate Change

Climate Change Resilience

Available Online

Amazon Vision

Protected Areas are key in helping communities and nature face a changing climate. They can help buffer the impacts of extreme climate events, ensure maintained provision of ecosystem services that are fundamental for human wellbeing, such as clean water, facilitate the adaptation of people and nature to new climate conditions, and contribute to climate change mitigation. Integrating protected areas in global climate planning and finance within and outside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change -UNFCCC- is an essential element in building resilience to climate change and supporting sustainable development globally. Several technical and political arguments support the case for including protected areas in climate change strategies that can contribute to climate-resilient development and promote a safer climate future.

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