Value Based Learning
In this report, originally posted on www.cmdcngo.org,, Sister Margaret O’Dwyer, DC describes the threat posed by global warming on the Earth’s oceans and weather systems, and as a result, on the life of the residents of the Cook Islands. She describes how islanders are planning to adapt to these threats.
The Cook Islands are diligently planning to protect their “enua” (lands) and “moana” (ocean) from effects of global warming and climate change, even though they bear minimal responsibility for causing them.
“Big countries are into mitigation, but adaptation is our only choice,” said Deyna Marsh, Education and Awareness Coordinator for the Cook Islands National Environment Services. “Changes are already happening. Sea levels are rising all around the Pacific. If nothing is done now, we will lose our Islands, our traditions, our culture. Buildings and infrastructure on the foreshore will be lost or damaged, and both food security and the health of the people will be affected.”
A workshop held in Rarotonga, February 28 to March 4, produced a Cook Islands Climate Change Adaptation Plan. If the Plan is approved by managers of the Kyoto Protocol Climate Change Adaptation Fund, the Cook Islands could receive $5 million in support.
Pasha Carruthers, Cook Islands National Environment Service’s Island Futures Manager and organizer of the workshop, says global warming and climate change are affecting the Islands in many and serious ways.
First, sea levels are rising at the rate of about .5 millimeters per year, or about 4 centimeters over a decade, she said. Rising sea levels affect the pearl industry and tourism. Pearls need certain temperatures for peak production. If temperatures rise, the pearl returns aren’t favorable.
Secondly, the Islands are experiencing more severe weather events. Cyclone Pat in early 2010 caused nearly $12 million (New Zealand) in devastation to the Island of Aitutaki while Tropical Storm 11(later Cyclone Sarah) destroyed the School in Penrhyn. The frequency and intensity of cyclones is up."When we get cyclones, we get substantial damage to infrastructure," said Mathilda Miriea-Tairea, who was Project Manager for The Cyclone Emergency Assistance Loan, which helped the Cooks recover from five cyclones which struck various islands in early 2005. "Harbors, roads, schools, buildings and hospitals all required repairs." One of the five cyclones, Percy, which struck the Island of Pukaka, also served as an example of how powerful waves can salinate taro patches, destroying the crop and threatening food security.
Third, there is a shift in rainfall and weather patterns. According to Cook Islands Meteorological Service, the average temperature is increasing by about a degree, so seasons will be longer, hotter, and drier. Some islands are receiving more rainfall than usual, while others, such as Penrhyn, are experiencing drought. "If you don't get the seasonal rainfall, or the cycles are out of whack, you could have empty water tanks," said Carruthers. Storm surge damage also will increase. Planters are noticing changes in growing seasons and are researching ways to make plants more adaptable to heat, drought, and higher rainfall. Food security is a definite issue.
Fourthly, reefs suffer extensively from global warming. Reefs protect shorelines from storm surges, serve as homes to marine life, and attract tourists. But rising sea temperatures are affecting the coral. Coral can bleach due to heat stress which damages the algae which supply them with food. Carruthers mentions another, relatively new, phenomenon which requires more study. “Five years ago, we didn’t think that as more carbon dioxide enters the air, the ocean takes it up through phytoplankton and stores it, causing acidification,” she said. “That makes the ocean less alkaline, which puts more pressure on coral reefs. It dissolves them. The coral reefs can’t withstand it.”
Following the workshop, Island leaders are gathering more data, brainstorming about adaptation and suggesting many solutions, such as planting more coconut trees, improving cyclone shelters, researching weather-resistant crop trees to prevent soil erosion, better preparation for disaster reliefs, and greater reef protection. The Pacific Conference of Churches issued a position paper in April, 2009, particularly related to climate change refugees. “To continue to walk the current path of ecological destruction is not only recklessness; it’s a sin,” the paper states. What would Islanders say to larger nations who are great carbon emitters? “They need to care about the little guys,” says Ms. Marsh, “Take a little more time to consider us. We’re humans, too! We also have communities, and we are profoundly affected by climate change.”
A value framework for evaluating social and ecological realities
Anita L. Wenden
Ecological sustainability
Social justice
Intergenerational equity
Participatory decisionmaking