Climate Change Impacts on the Pacific Island States

Big Impacts

Climate change will affect everyone, but its

affecting poor people in developing

countries first and most dramatically.

People's income, health and lives are

already being threatened by climate change.

Restorf Island, Kimbe Bay

Access to clean water will change

As rainfall patterns have changed, droughts

have been experienced in Papua New

Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia

and Fiji.

Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Cook

islands have experienced water shortages.

Hot river, West New

Britain

More humanitarian disasters

The average number of disasters reported during 2000–2004 was 55 per cent higher than during 1995–1999 and affected one

third more people.

There will be more droughts during the 21st century.

Harvesting on the reef, Kimbe Bay

Food supplies and livelihoods will be at risk

Crop gardens on six of Tuvalu's eight

islands have been damaged by rising sea

levels and more severe storms.

Export cash crops such as copra, coffee and sugarcane are also highly vulnerable to damage by heat, salination and severe

weather.

Village visit, Eastern Highlands

Greater risk of illness

The impact of climate change on water supplies is likely to increase cases of

diarrhoea which already claims the lives of nearly 2 million children a year.

Five million serious illnesses and 150,000 deaths already occur every year directly

as a result of climate change.

Mahonia girl, Kimbe Bay

Greater risk of conflict and more people on the move

As climate change hits, some people will

have to leave their country and this is

already happening in the pacific.

People of Kimbe, West New Britain

Please visit http://youthprojectsurvival.org/

to find out more and how you can be part of the solution!