The subtropical oceanic gyre in the North Pacific Ocean is currently covered with tens of thousands of tonnes of floating plastic debris, dispersed over millions of square kilometres. A large fraction is composed of fishing nets and ropes while the rest is mostly composed of hard plastic-objects and fragments, sometimes carrying evidence on their origin.
Marine pollution is the result of harmful chemicals entering the ocean, polluted waste waters industrial agricultural and residential waste, garbage from ships, and the spread of invasice organisms.
The engagement in the Pacific Islands Region (PIR) of the Pacific Department PARD) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) includes supporting developing countries in the PIR through regional development forums and infrastructure finance. Given the vulnerability of the PIR to SLR (sea level rise), how precautionary should investors be when dealing with SLR in the Pacific.
The Pacific is home to around 27% of the world’s corals, spread out over vast areas. The remoteness of reefs and capacity constraints present unique challenges for Pacific States to gather scientific information
This document provides an overview of the current state of waste management in the nine countries covered by JPRISM II. The countries include: Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Republic Of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga and Samoa. The report briefly covers waste generation and waste composition in some areas in each country, Waste collection systems in the Pacific Island Countries, Recycling initiatives in Pacific Island Countries, Landfill methods for solid waste, Overview of final disposal sites in the capitals and state capitals of nine Pacific countries and recommendations to improve Solid Waste Management in the Pacific Island countries.
To assist our Pacific Island Members prepare for the first Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for the Plastics Convention, the Secretariat with funding support from the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, held the Pacific Regional Preparatory Workshop on the 16-18 August 2022 in Suva, Fiji. This workshop was an opportunity to bring together Pacific Islanders Members, Governments, Academia, Civil Society, Private Sector, etc. to discuss the regional vision for addressing plastic pollution.
Ocean cities are where urban lanscapes and seascapes meet, where built and natural environments near coastlines interface and where human behaviour and urban development have profound impacts on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Sustainable financing and advance recovery fee and deposit (ARFD) systems provide a regular funding mechanism,s to enable the collection and export of recyclable items.
This report covers the waste oil activities JPRISM II & the Samoa Recycling & Waste Management Association implemented in September 2021.
Key information presented in this report regarding the collection stage includes Procedure for waste oil collection; Waste Oil Collection results; Major identified issues at the collection stage; Confirmation of difference in the required number of workers depending on whether the forklift and pallets are used; the Required number of workers and division of work; & Points to be reviewed for the collection in Phase 2. Important information regarding the storage of waste oil includes Procedure for waste oil weighing and storage; Weighing and storage results; Major identified issues at the weighing stage; Major identified issues at the SWOMP facility layout and storage stage; a Required number of workers and division of work & Points to be reviewed for the storage stage in Phase 2. The report also covers the cost analysis as well as recommendations for the next phase of the pilot project.
A negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event is under way. The IOD index has been very close to or exceeded negative
IOD thresholds (i.e., at or below -0.4 °C) over the past eight weeks. All climate model outlooks surveyed indicate
that negative IOD conditions are likely to continue into late spring (October-November). A negative IOD event is associated
with above average winter to spring rainfall for much of Australia.
