Adapting to Change

In the true spirit of my last post I felt that I should look at some of the adaptation strategies being implemented on Tuvalu so to combat climate change. Although here the focus is on Tuvalu the general principal of the strategies discussed holds for all small islands at risk due to climate change, and thus may be implemented wherever a threat exists.

A particularly interesting document I have found is Tuvalu's national adaptation action plan which highlights seven key project areas each dealing with an 'urgent and immediate' threat due to climate change.

Project 1 - Increasing resilience of Coastal Areas and Community Settlement to climate change.

The problem of coastal erosion is being dealt with through a number of methods. Coastal currents which directly impact erosion are particularly strong between islets and as such concrete barriers are being constructed to act as breaks to reduce the strength of these currents and thus reduce coastal erosion. Coastal defences such as sea walls are being constructed in some areas to combat erosion and reduce saltwater intrusion. Such projects have had varying degrees of success in different locations. In addition to these large scale construction projects community based afforestation is being encouraged by programmes such as the 'adopt-a-tree' programme which aims to create protective bands of trees along windward coasts so to help stabilise coasts.

Project 2 - Increasing Pulaka Productivity.

Pulaka is a salt intolerant plant and as such seawater intrusion is leading to these plants rotting in the ground. This has raised particular concerns for very poor families as they will not be able to afford the imported goods that the community will have to rely on for food. To prevent this from happening salt tolerant Pulaka species are being introduced. Along with introducing this new species, local farmers are being trained how to plant and maintain these plants. This new species is being promoted as a locally sourced alternative to rice, and local people are being taught how to cook it in the hope that food security will be ensured.

Project 3 - Adaptation to frequent water shortages.

Rainwater is relied upon as a source of freshwater by the people of Tuvalu due to saltwater intrusion into the freshwater lens; as such, to guard against vulnerability to draught it is important to increase household freshwater storage capacity. This is being done by distributing rainwater tanks to store water in as well as installing guttering so to channel water into these tanks.

The second focus of this project is that of water conservation. This part of the project aims to raise public awareness of the importance of water conservation, teaching people how they can use water in a more efficient manner as well as helping install water conservation technologies. These technologies help reduce the amount of water output into streams and therefore reduce groundwater pollution.

This part of the project has become increasingly important in recent months and efforts have been stepped up to enhance water security for the people of Tuvalu.  One solution to the recent drought has been to deploy a mobile water treatment system which can produce drinking water from almost any raw water source and is at present doing so at a rate of around 40,000 litres a day.

Project 4 - Controlling vector borne/climate sensitive diseases.

It is essential to increase the Tuvaluan people's capacity to fight climate sensitive diseases that will, with increasingly warm temperatures, become more likely to spread throughout the population. Community resilience is being built up through the development of a 'vector outbreak control plan' as well through the spraying of areas which are most suitable to being vector breeding grounds. Increasing availability of freshwater in the ways previously mentioned alongside the building of 'community sanitary aides’ will help enhance the islands sanitary conditions and thus help reduce the contraction and spread of climate sensitive diseases. Awareness of diseases is also being raised through education of children in schools as well as through the production of radio programmes and leaflets which help to inform the general public.

Project 5 – Strengthening of community based conservation programmes.

Many coastal marine resources are at risk of damage and destruction due to rising sea surface temperatures. This problem is made worse by coastal erosion, which further degrades delicate ecosystems such as coral reefs as eroded material is deposited upon them. To protect vulnerable coastal environments a community-based sustainable management plan for the islands is being developed. This will include taking stock of the existing marine resources and identifying the area’s most vulnerable due to climate change. In addition public awareness will be raised about how to implement a wide range of conservation practices and the importance of doing so illustrated. In doing so it is hoped that in the long term marine environments will be protected, thus marine biodiversity will be maintained and the community’s income from marine resources will be secured.

Project 6 - Strengthening of Community Disaster preparedness and response capability.

Due to climate change the incidents of natural disasters in Tuvalu have increased, therefore it is highly important that local people are prepared to cope with such events so to reduce any casualties that may occur. To this end community awareness is being raised about the existing disaster response plan and a further disaster preparedness and response strategy is being developed. This will be accompanied by an increase in the amount of climate knowledge that is communicated to the people of Tuvalu so to increase the understanding of extreme climatic conditions may occur. In addition to being able to respond to climate hazards it is important to try and reduce the risks and economic losses associated with such hazards and as such disaster risk reduction training is being undertaken.

Climate monitoring and early warning systems are also being developed so to increase the amount of information about weather systems in the area and further enhance the speed of response to climate hazards.

Project 7 – Adaptation to coastal shellfish fisheries resources productivity.

Many shellfish in the coastal waters of Tuvalu are already living in the upper end of their temperature tolerance and therefore any further increase in sea surface temperature may devastate shellfish populations. Populations are further suffering due to habitat destruction and low breeding rates which are associated with climate change. It is important to act to save these resources as they are an essential source of protein for many low-income families. Therefore vulnerable shellfish populations are being moved from their current location to more suitable sites, breeding programmes are being put in place and breeding sites are becoming the focus of conservation efforts. Again this issue like many others requires public awareness to be raised through radio programmes and publication of informative literature. To further aid this issue laws are being drafted that penalise the poaching of shellfish, therefore helping reduce over-harvesting. It is hoped that these actions will lead to an increase in the productivity and biodiversity of marine ecosystems while securing a source of protein for local people long into the future.

It can be seen that the government of Tuvalu has a pretty comprehensive plan of how to adapt to climate change and respond to extreme events. However, for this plan to be implemented some barriers need to be overcome, most significantly that of financial restrictions, as you can imagine implementation of such a plan does not come cheap. In addition to this, a number of cultural barriers need to be overcome, such as introducing a new species of pulaka, and the accepting of, and commitment to conservation techniques which require a move away from traditional practices.

Overall, I hope I have shown that climate change does not mean that mass migration is inevitable, instead a credible adaptation strategy has been developed which will enable people to continue to inhabit the islands that compose Tuvalu. However, this adaptation will require a move away from some traditional practices, but this loss of some practices seems a price worth paying if it means that Tuvalu remains habitable for generations to come.