The environment of Vanuatu including its land based resources are extremely vulnerable to climate-related hazards, such as cyclones strong wind gusts, droughts, heats spells, floods and sea level rise/storm surges. Most of these hazards are precipitated by natural weather phenomena and therefore will be exacerbated by the current and future impacts of climate change. This vulnerability is a threat not only to the livelihoods of the people of Vanuatu but also to a healthy and prosperous nation.

Set of posters that guves awareness of climate change and its impacts and adaptations.

Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural hazards.  Situated in the Pacific’s ‘ring of fire’ and ‘cyclone belt’, it regularly experiences volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,   cyclones and at times tsunamis, drought and flood.  With the onset of climate change, extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity, and sea levels are rising.

Scientist say climate change is already happening and temperatures will go on rising. They expect more extreme and more erratic weather. Sea levels will rise. hundreds of millions of poor people countries will be hit hardest.

The Pacific Islands region is experiencing climate change. Key indicators of the changing
climate include rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising air and sea temperatures,
rising sea levels and upper-ocean heat content, changing ocean chemistry and increasing
ocean acidity, changing rainfall patterns, decreasing base flow in streams, changing
wind and wave patterns, changing extremes, and changing habitats and species distributions.
Currently, the most vulnerable areas include low islands (atoll islands and other

Climate Change in the Pacific is a rigorously researched, peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the climate of the western Pacific region. Building on the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this two volume publication represents a comprehensive resource on the climate of the Pacific.

As part of the preparedness towards any forthcoming disasters and continuous monitoring of the agricultural sector, the RRU in collaboration with FAO and DARD have established an early warning early action system that is run by the Risk and Resilience Unit (RRU) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB) to the agricultural extension officers. The department of agriculture has a total of 45 extension officers that are based on all of the 6 provinces covering almost all the area councils of every island.

This report uses these generic methods to provide recommendations for climate resilient development in the PICs in the following sectors: coastal protection, flood management, water resources management, protection of infrastructure against changes in temperature and precipitations, protection of buildings against cyclone winds, and adaptation in the agriculture sector.

This Urban Risk Management Strategy (the URMS or the Strategy) provides a response to the hazards,  risks and urban growth trends identified for Vanuatu’s two urban areas, the greater Port Vila Urban Area and Luganville. It is Stage 3 of the Risk Mapping and Planning for Urban Preparedness Project (the Project) being undertaken by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) as part of the broader Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction Project.

Following TC Pam NDMO recognised the need for enhanced community based disaster risk management responses. As such over the last year NDMO has been working with its key in country partners to review, revise and update certain processes and tools. One of those DRM processes and tools is the community based disaster assessment process.

The Climate Council is an independent, crowd-funded organisation providing quality information on climate change to the Australian public. This factsheet contains useful information about the influence of climate change on tropical cyclones, coastal flooding, storm surges, etc.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP) is implementing the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development in Vanuatu (CISRD), or Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong redy, adapt mo protekt (Van-KIRAP) Project.

Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries to natural hazards on the planet, (World Bank, 2011). More than three quarters of the population are at risk from not just one, but multiple disaster events, including: tsunamis, volcano eruptions, flooding, cyclones and many more. According to the Pacific Catastrophic Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI), undertaken by SPC and World Bank in 2010, Vanuatu can lose up to VT4 Billion in one year due to cyclone and earthquakes.

Information on live and learn projects, including adaptation to climate change .

Including information on live and learn project to improve community based sanitation and hygiene.

The assessment of available remote sensing data indicates, that there is almost no potential for
activities reducing deforestation within the CCA/REDD site. Reducing forest degradation by
eliminating invasive weeds might show some potential for emission reductions and removals, but
requires further research to assess the management options and their carbon dynamics.
 

Vanuatu is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change and disaster risks. The island nation experiences cyclones, storm surges, landslides, flooding and droughts, which may become more intense as a result of climate change. Vanuatu is also highly exposed to geophysical threats such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as human, animal and plant diseases, and human-caused disasters.

Pacific Islanders are at the forefront of climate change; experiencing its varying impacts on coastlines, biodiversity, economy and most importantly on livelihoods. The conservation of mangroves and associated ecosystems is a key natural adaptation strategy and mitigation measure to climate change. Mangrove ecosystems provide goods and services highly valued by the people of the Pacific. However, this unique ecosystem faces continuing threats from overharvesting, degradation and land reclamation.

Attribution

MESCAL

Established in 2000, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a global
leader in enabling civil society to participate in and influence the conservation of
some of the world’s most critical ecosystems. CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence
Française de Développement (AFD), Conservation International, the European
Union, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF is
unique among funding mechanisms in that it focuses on high-priority biological

Vanuatu Marine Ecosystem Service Valuation SUMMARY & Final report

This study,conducted in 2015, aimed to determine the economic value of seven marine and coastal ecosystem services in Vanuatu. The study forms part of the broader MACBIO project (Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Management in Pacific Island Countries and Atolls) that aims to strengthen the management of marine and coastal biodiversity in Pacific island countries.