TL: Climate Change in the Pacific SO: Greenpeace Pacific Campaign, Greenpeace New Zealand (GP) DT: January, 1991 Keywords: greenpeace factsheets atmosphere climate change effects south pacific new zealand australasia global warming gp energy / FACT SHEET PC1 JANUARY 1991 The aims of the Greenpeace Pacific atmosphere and energy campaign are: to develop contacts with Pacific Island states - especially those which are expected to be worst affected by climate change. to encourage Pacific participation at regional and international meetings on climate change. to mobilise public and political opinion in the Pacific region on atmosphere and energy issues. "We have been sustained by the ocean for two million years, and it has been bountiful and continues to yield to us its bounty. We have now learned that this harmony could be interrupted by the actions of nations very distant from our shores ... We, the peoples of the South Pacific Region, appeal to you in a common voice, the voice of those who may be the first victims of global warming ... to ensure the survival of our cultures and our very existence and to prevent us from becoming endangered species or the dinosaurs of the next century..." Ernest Bani, Vanuatu's principal delegate, addressing the IPCC Response Strategies Working Group, Geneva, October, 1989) There is no longer any doubt that industrial pollution and other human activities are changing the world's climate. The world is gradually becoming warmer (the 'greenhouse effect') and these warm temperatures are causing the sea level to rise. Although Pacific Island countries have contributed very little to the worldwide buildup of greenhouse gases, they are likely to be among the first countries to feel the impacts of climate change. Also, the Islands' economies are probably less able to afford the technology needed to cut back their own greenhouse gas releases, and to protect themselves against the impacts of the greenhouse effect. The involvement of Pacific Island people in future negotiations over an effective Global Climate Convention is therefore very important in order to guarantee the survival of future generations in the Pacific. IS THE CLIMATE CHANGING? Worldwide scientific evidence shows clearly that the world is growing warmer, and that this is causing further changes to world climates. Over the last hundred years the world's mean (mid-range) temperature has increased by 0.3 - 0.6C. Because seawater expands when it becomes warmer, these higher temperatures have caused average sea levels to rise by 1-2mm per year in the past century. Temperatures during the 1980's are clearly 0.2C higher than in any other decade since temperature recording began in the 1850s. Seven of the ten warmest years on record all occurred in the 1980s. 1990 looks almost certain to be the warmest year on global average ever recorded. In the Pacific, there is evidence of increasing sea and air temperatures, increasing sea level rise, increasing frequency of tropical cyclones, corals dying because of warmer seawater, and unusually high temperatures never experienced before. These abnormal weather patterns indicate the beginning of a global warming trend - better known as the greenhouse effect. WHAT IS THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT? The greenhouse effect (the gradual increase in worldwide air temperatures) is caused by the build-up of certain gases in the earth's atmosphere. These gases are generated mostly by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), cutting down forest trees, farming animals like cows and sheep, and various industrial activities. The resulting gases build up in the upper atmosphere where they act as a blanket, trapping heat reflected from the earth's surface that would otherwise disappear into space. It is this heat which causes the greenhouse effect. THE MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES Carbon Dioxide (CO2) CO2 enters the atmosphere whenever anything containing carbon burns. When the atmosphere is healthy, such releases form part of the natural carbon cycle. In past centuries, the CO2 in the earth's atmosphere trapped enough heat to warm the planet to an average temperature of about 16C. This moderate average temperature has given us our current climates and allowed the spread of agriculture and human settlement. During the past century, worldwide industrial activity, fossil fuel burning, clearing of forests, burning of 'biomass' (plant and animal materials such as firewood) for energy, land erosion and changing land use have greatly increased in many parts of the world. These activities have caused an increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. The more CO2 builds up, the more heat is trapped near the earth. The level of CO2 is currently rising at about 0.5% per year because of human activity. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is now about 25% higher than in pre-industrial times (200 years ago), and higher than at any time in the last 160,000 years. Increased concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are responsible for about 55% of the greenhouse effect. Methane (CH4) Human activities such as rice growing, cattle farming, biomass burning and waste burial, mining and gas leaks have greatly increased the amount of CH4 entering the atmosphere. The current concentration of CH4 is now more than double the level in pre-industrial times, and is increasing at a rate of about 0.9% per year. Methane accounts for approximately 15% of global warming. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): CFCs are industrial chemicals used in a variety of applications, mainly in air conditioners and refrigeration, in aerosols for use with plastic foams, as medical sterilizing compounds and as solvents in the computer and electronic industries. CFCs contribute about 24% to global warming. Nitrous oxide (N2O) N2O is released in great quantities from modern farming practices such as the use of artificial fertilizers, fossil fuel burning, and biomass burning. The current concentration in the atmosphere is now about 8% greater than in the pre-industrial era, and is increasing at a rate of about 0.25% per year. N2O contributes about 6% to global warming. Others Ozone and sulphur dioxide are other gases which contribute to global warming. Both of these are important greenhouse gases, and their concentration varies because of their short life span. WHAT THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT COULD MEAN IN THE PACIFIC: The Pacific islands are already suffering the effects of flooding, droughts and tropical cyclones. Global climate change would increase the frequency and severity of these weather patterns, threatening agriculture, livestock, buildings and lifestyles. A rise in sea level of 30 to 50 cm would be very harmful to the people of low-lying islands like Kirabati, Tuvalu, and Tokelau. A one-metre rise would make some of these low island countries uninhabitable, and large numbers of their people would have to move to higher land overseas. Rapid sea level rise would change the coastal ecology, and much valuable dry land would disappear under water. For example Nukuloafa, where 20% of Tonga's population lives, could lose 15% of its area from a 50cm rise in the sea level. There may also be serious new health problems because of heat stress, the spread of infections, and shortages of food and water. Relatively tiny changes in the climate could seriously affect supplies of fresh water on many Pacific islands. The rising sea level may cause salt water to move inland into freshwater aquifers (underground water supplies), creating problems for agriculture and human life. The loss of supplies of fresh water could mean human occupation on some islands was no longer possible, so that people would have to move to higher land elsewhere. HOW PACIFIC GOVERNMENTS CAN HELP TO STABILISE THE CLIMATE Pacific Island political leaders who are involved in climate-change negotiations must be urged to call on the industrialised countries, the major historical and current producers of greenhouse gases, to act immediately to reduce all releases of greenhouse gases. The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest sink for atmospheric CO2. The protection of the ocean and marine ecosystem is vital. The use of dynamites, poisonous chemicals, and traditional fishing practices which destroy coral reefs must be ended. Any further wasteful exploitation of our natural resources through forest-clearing, mining, and other large-scale developments should be considered vary carefully, and avoided wherever possible. The release of CO2 into the atmosphere should be reduced through better energy conservation and energy efficiency. This is possible by burning less biomass, using less fossil fuels, and improving traditional open fire cooking methods by using alternatives such as more efficient woodstoves. The sun is an infinite source of energy in the Pacific and we should do everything possible to utilize this clean source of energy. Appeals must be made to the industrialised countries for greatly increased financial and technological aid to the islands. WHAT YOU CAN DO Avoid buying products which are already banned in industrial countries. The Pacific is already being used by many companies from industrialised countries to dump banned products such as aerosols containing CFCs, inefficient cars and refrigerators, and agricultural chemicals sold at a cheaper rate to the islands. Encourage the use of public transport. Save energy in your own home and workplace, for instance by turning off lights and appliances when not in use. Consider using automatic controls such as time clocks and movement detector switches. Remove unnecessary lights and avoid a system of many lights controlled by one switch. For rural areas, encourage your government to invest in the use of solar power to provide electricity. Taha'a, an island in French Polynesia, is being served completely with solar power, proving that this is possible. Plant trees - they help to absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere. The more trees we plant and save, the more we help to reduce our CO2 emissions. Write to politicians and government leaders expressing your concern about the lack of action from major CO2 emission countries like the US, USSR and Saudi Arabia. Our leaders have the power to turn the whole climate debate around in our favour. WORLDWIDE MOVES TO STABILISE THE CLIMATE The UN established the Intergovernmental Panel an Climate Change in November 1988 to advise the world on global warming. In its final report in August 1990, this panel assured the world that the greenhouse effect was real, and action must be taken to stabilise it. This report was discussed at the 2nd World Climate Conference in Geneva in Oct-Nov 1990. Pacific Island people were strongly represented at the conference - their first major representation in any international debate on climate change. The islands represented spoke out strongly against industrialised countries which refused to act quickly to reduce global warming. The Global Climate Convention is due to be signed at the UN Conference on the Environment and Development, in Brazil in 1992.