Category Archives: Posts by country

Sea level rise in Fiji

VERENAISI RAICOLA

Picture by bzarrhands

Sea level is expected to continue to rise in Fiji and coastal communities including resort owners need to adapt to this.

Scientists from the Pacific Climate Change Science Program in Melbourne Australia on their latest report on Current and Future Climate of Fiji told regional journalists currently in Australia for leadership and Climate Change reporting that the rise is predicted to be 3 to 16 cm.

The sea-level rise combined with natural year to year changes will increase the impact of storm surges and coastal flooding in the country.

As there is still much to learn, particularly how large ice sheets such as Antarctica and Greenland contribute to sea level rise, scientists warn larger rises than currently predicted could even be possible.

The predictions say that the acidity level of sea waters in the Fiji region will continue to increase over the 21st century with the greatest change under the high emissions scenario by 2030 affecting the fish and sea life negatively.

The impact of increased acidification on the health of reef ecosystems is likely to be compounded by other stressors including coral bleaching, storm damage and fishing pressure.

On a global scale while projections indicate there is likely to be a decrease in the number of tropical cyclones scientists predict an increase in the average maximum wind speed of cyclones by between 2-11 per cent and an increase in rainfall intensity of about 20 per cent within 100 km of the cyclone centre.

In the Fiji region projections indicate a decrease in the frequency of tropical cyclones by the late 21 century and an increase in the proportions of the more intense storm so more cyclone proof building will have to be constructed to withstand these weather changes.

Projections for all emissions scenarios indicate that the annual average of air temperatures and sea surface temperature will continue to increase.

By 2030 under a high emissions scenario this increase in temperature is projected to be in the range of 0.4 to 1.0 degrees Celsius placing a higher risk on the health of the population.

Increases in the average temperature will also result in the rise in the number of hot days and warm nights meaning a significant decline in cooler weather.

Melbourne, here I come

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The author, flanked by Rikamati Naare of Kiribati and Alain Simeon of Vanuatu in Melbourne. Picture: Luke Guterres

Port Moresby, Sunday 23^rd October 2011. It was 5.30am and my flat at Kaubebe Street, Boroko, came awake. I got up from my bed and looked out the window. Dawn was here. I showered, got dressed and checked my bag again to make sure that I had everything I needed.

My passport was on the table with my airline ticket. I was leaving for Melbourne, Australia to attend a five week training program. I grabbed my bag and with my family in tow, we jumped into the car. Graham, my neighbour, drove us to the Jackson’s International Airport, where I got off and said goodbye to everyone.

I hate flying. To tell you the truth, the only bit of flying that I like is the take off. I like the hormones rushing through my body when the huge planes run down the runway, picking up speed as they go to lift off the ground.

So when the Air Niugini Port Moresby to Cairns flight was airborne, I decided that sleep was the best way to pass my time for the next one and half hour.

I was awaken by the voice of the air hostess and realised that we were landing at the Cairns International Airport. I had to get a connection flight to Melbourne in about one and half hour so after clearing Customs, I headed for the domestic terminal. I arrived, only to find that it was a lot bigger than what I am use to at Jackson’s. I asked someone who was dressed like a security guard where I should check in and he pointed the way to me. When I arrived at the Qantas check-in counter, I remembered what my good comrade Frank Genaia told me after returning from Sydney recently. I looked for the machines that were to check passengers in and found several queues in front of what looked like ATM machines. When it was my turn, I asked the lady in uniform next to the machine for help.

A few minutes later, my boarding pass was coming out of the machine. I picked it up and went over to the counter where I dropped my bag. My flight to Melbourne was going to take off in a short time and I rushed here and there, looking for the gate where I was to go in to board the flight. It was not long when I found it.

I found myself, squeezed in between two huge guys at the tail end of this huge jet plane for the four hours flight to Melbourne. As the plane flew south, heading for this 200 year old city, I allowed my mind to go to work. I was too excited to sleep because I had never been to Melbourne. All my visits to Australia had always terminated in Sydney. I had been to Canberra only once but it was a long time ago.

After what seem like hours, I felt the plane start its decent. I knew we were getting close to my destination. This was confirmed soon by the pilot who announced that we had arrived in Melbourne half an hour early. I was not to know that arriving this early will present a problem for me. I was to find out later.

Very soon, the huge plane touched down and was taxing into the tarmac. It was a good thing that I had taken one of the seats in the last row, for as one of the last passengers to get out of the plane, it was easy for me to follow the others into the tarmac. Pushing a trolley with my bag, I went out of the arrival gate, expecting to see someone from the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre to be there to pick me up but there was no sign of anyone.

I walked up and down, pulling my bag behind me. Still no one. I went back into the arrival lounge, checking everyone who was standing there, holding up small signs with names of passengers they were waiting to pick up, written on them. My name was not on any of them. I walked outside again and waited, all the time telling myself not to panic.

After what seem like hours, I decided to ask for help. I asked someone who looked like a driver of one of those tour buses who was standing not too far off from where I was.

“Mate, how much will it cost me to go to this address,” I asked showing him the APJC address.

The man consulted two other men, who looked like they were in the same business, came back to me and told me that the place I wanted to go was not too far away.

He told me that it will cost me $65. I agreed to pay and we set off for APJC. After half an hour later, Francis (he introduced himself to me in the car) pulled into APJC. Francis waited for me while I went up to the house and knocked. I knocked several times and no one answered the door. I started getting worried. It was getting late and the wind was chilly. I could feel the cold biting into my skin. Francis said he will wait with me. I was comforted as I did not want to stand there at this strange place by myself.

Soon a car pulled up and a man jumped out. I recalled seeing him somewhere before but I could not remember. “You must be Peter,” he said with a smile, extending his hand to me. “I am John Wallace”.

We shook hands. He realised I had come in another car and told me there was supposed to be someone at the airport to pick me up. I told him I did not see this someone and I could not hang around because it was getting late and I had to find my own way to APJC.

John Wallace turned to Francis and asked him how much he was charging me. When John heard the price, he shook his head, telling Francis that it normally cost $50 from the airport to APJC. Nevertheless, John parted with the fare and told Francis to drop me at the hotel which was going to be my home for the next three weeks. Jee, the man who was to pick up me at the airport caught up with me at the hotel. He told me that he had gone to the airport but found that my plane had arrived half an hour early and that I had left. I forgave him and told him not to worry. It was not his fault.

I moved into Finlay Place on Lygon Street and into one of the most delightful parts of Melbourne.

That evening, I walked to the balcony on the fourth floor of my hotel and looked across Melbourne. The lights had come on but I could not see where the lights end and as I stood there, looking across the city, my nose was picking up this rich aroma in the cool air. Food! I was picking up the scent of good cooking.

I looked down. All along Lygon Street, it was a hive of activity. Restaurants of all kinds were open for business. At each place, a lot of happy people were seated around tables, sipping wines, eating and conversing. Their laughter filled the air and floated up to where I was.

A happy thought struck me. I did not get lost and had arrived safe in Melbourne. It was time I went down and check those restaurants out.

Australia could do more to help Pacific Island countries deal with climate change

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As small island developing states, including the pacific, gear up towards the Conference of the Parties meeting in Durban next week to once again reinforce the urgent plea of saving their people and countries from the effects of climate change, Tasmania Greens Senator says Australia could do more to help pacific island countries deal with climate change in funding a Secretariat for the Alliance of Small Island Developing States.

AOSIS is a non-governmental organization of low lying atolls and coastal countries established since 1990 to consolidate the voices of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to address global warming. AOSIS has been very active from its inception and 15 out of the 42 members and observers from all around the world are pacific island countries.

Speaking to pacific journalists last Friday following a presentation at the 2011 Environmental Politics and Conflict in an Age of Digital Media Symposium at the University of Tasmania, in Australia, Greens Senator Christine Milne says the first thing Australia could do is to provide funding for a Secretariat for AOSIS.

“ I understand that the pacific is being given the chair of the AOSIS and the first thing Australia could do is give a couple of million dollars to the pacific to provide a secretariat for AOSIS, because if AOSIS is to maintain a good profile and capacity in global climate talks it needs to have a secretariat support, so the first thing Australia could do is to get involved and give more support at that level.”

Senator Milne adds that Australia also needs to separate climate finance from the aid budget for transparency purposes.

“Secondly they should be separating out climate finance faster and long term from the aid budget because what Australia has done is that is has put the aid budget and climate finance together and so Australian people are told constantly that we are doing the right thing with their climate funding plus the increase of the aid budget but actually if you separate them out, you’ll see that we are not.”

“So the next thing Australia needs to do is to make sure that it has transparency and it’s aid funding is separate from climate financing.”

The Tasmanian Greens Senator also spoke of the need to increase capacity building with pacific government departments by allowing people to come to work in Australian government departments such as the Great Barrier Reef Park Authority.

“I worked really hard to get the coral reefs of New Caledonia, for example, listed as world heritage and I worked very hard on that and am delighted that we succeeded in doing that a couple of years ago, but obviously there’s a huge amount that could be learnt from the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, PNG could learn from those fantastic coral reefs, but right through the pacific there’s a whole range of issues.

In terms of assistance with adaptation, certainly assisting with know-how and technology that enables people to be able to keep being able to produce food where they live in light of the rising sea levels and salt water incursion is really important as well, plus a whole range of things.”

“But also there has to be a long term plan and this is what nobody is talking about and it goes to what I mentioned hearing Tuvalu says in the global talks in Nairobi – who will take my people? – hearing a pacific leader stand up and say that if the world knew that six countries were going to disappear but didn’t know which six, maybe people would be a bit more focused in acting on climate change and I thought that was a really good way of putting it because even with all the adaptation that will occur in the pacific, there are going to be some places like Kiribati and Tuvalu, for example, where ultimately people are going to have to move and we need to be thinking about how people can move and maintain their cultural identity and communities when they do move.”

So I think there’s a lot we could be doing but the first thing we should be doing is acknowledging that climate change is real and already creating substantial problems and internal migration, loss of burial and cultural sites, agricultural capacity and fresh water right now.”

Meanwhile on the question of the lack of coverage of climate change issues in pacific island countries by the Australian media, Senator Milne says the Australian media does not cover in a factual way the existing impact of climate change on pacific island countries.

She says it is extremely rare to find a photograph prominently placed in the Australian print media or stories prominently placed in current affairs or news bulletins about the impacts of storm surge or of any of the extreme weather events or issues such as salt water incursion, loss of capacity to grow food and loss of fresh water.

“You just don’t see those photographs in the Australian media or the stories, and if you do, they are placed as the sort of stories as human interest not related to news coverage of why the world needs to take action of climate change so it’s more of a travel log story than a front page story saying these are the existing consequences of climate change, that’s why we have to take action.

And the reason they’re not there is because if you say that, it makes it much harder for people to argue that there is no such thing as climate change, it’s not happening and it won’t happen for another hundred years, it’s going to cost us too much therefore we don’t need to do much about it – so it completely contradicts the line of argument that the Murdoch Press in particular want to take and that’s why it’s an inconvenient story that doesn’t get covered.”

Senator Christine Milner was interviewed by Vere Raicola of the Fiji Times, Rozalee Nongebatu of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation and Rikamati Nare Kiribati’s Broadcasting Commission who are currently doing a Climate Change Reporting fellowship in Australia under the Australian Leadership Award Scheme.

The three pacific journalists are part of a group of 15 journalists from the Asia Pacific region who are undertaking the training coordinated by the Asia Pacific Journalism Centre in Melbourne and Tasmania.

ENDS/////

Sidang Dua Minggu Lagi

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Catatan sidang ke-13

Sidang Arwin ditunda sampai 23 Nov 2011. Pertama, ahli yang semula Yusril Ihza Mahendra, tak datang.

SEKITAR pukul 10.00—satu jam sebelum sidang dibuka majelis hakim—kursi pengunjung sudah penuh. Sekitar 50 pengunjung duduk tenang di dalam ruang sidang. Tim pengacara pun sudah bersiap. Hanya jaksa Riyono dan Andi Suharlis yang masih santai. Mereka asik bermain handphone. Sesekali berdiskusi sembari tertawa kecil.

Pukul 11.09. “Majelis hakim akan memasuki ruang sidang. Pengunjung dimohon berdiri,” kata Dodi, staf Pengadilan Negeri Pekanbaru. Pengunjung jadi sekitar 80-an orang. Setelah kelima hakim menempati kursi masing-masing, hadirin dipersilakan duduk kembali.

Sidang molor dua jam dari jadwal. “Pak Muefri ada tamu,” kata Dodi menjelaskan keterlambatan sidang. Jumat, 4 November lalu Muefri resmi dilantik menjadi Kepala Pengadilan Negeri Pekanbaru. “Yah makin sibuk,” timpal Dodi.

Muefri, Hakim Ketua langsung minta tim pengacara menghadirkan ahli. “Mohon maaf majelis hakim. Kami tidak dapat menghadirkan ahli Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Ada kendala teknis. Kami tidak akan menghadirkan ahli lagi. Agenda sidang selanjutnya kami serahkan pada majelis,” terang Zulkifli Nasution, ketua tim Penasehat Hukum.

Muefri langsung ambil alih sidang. Ia agendakan pemeriksaan terdakwa Arwin AS. Namun Penuntut Umum keberatan. “Kami kira hari ini hanya pemeriksaan ahli. Jadi kami tidak membawa berkas untuk pemeriksaan terdakwa,” kata Riyono.

Majelis hakim memaklumi. Ketua tim Penutut Umum, M. Roem, pun tak hadir.

“Kalau begitu sidang terpaksa kita tunda,” kata Muefri. Pada saat yang sama, ia umumkan kalau dua anggota majelis hakim, Hendri dan Rahman Saleh, tidak bisa hadir di sidang berikutnya. “Mereka berdua dipanggil untuk ikut diklat ke Mahkamah Agung selama seminggu.” Tak ada hakim pengganti. “Karena itu, minggu depan kita tidak bisa melanjutkan sidang.”

Majelis hakim, tim Penasehat Hukum, Penuntut Umum dan terdakwa sepakat sidang dilanjutkan dua minggu kemudian, 23 November 2011. “Agenda pemeriksaan terdakwa,” kata Muefri menutup sidang. (rct, riaucorruptiontrial.wordpress.com)

Kiribati shares important values and goals with UN

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The UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon has said that Kiribati’s traditional words of blessing of ‘Te Mauri, Te Raoi, and Te Tabomoa’

UNSG planting mangrove in Kiribati. Photo by Eskinder Debebe

sums up the value of the United Nations.

Ban Ki-moon made the statement at a state dinner hosted by Kiribati’s President Anote Tong in his recent visit to Kiribati in early September this year.

He said the United Nations and Kiribati both share the goals of Peace, Health and Prosperity with both countries concerned about Climate Change.

“Many countries are dealing with climate change but in Kiribati, climate change threatens your territory, your culture and your very way of life”, he adds.

The secretary also recalls President Tong’s address at one of the UN General Assembly where he challenged all the leaders to take action on Climate Change and said, “I fear that our children and grandchildren will look back and ask, how is it that they knew what they knew and yet did so little?”.

Surat Cinta untuk Lingkungan

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KAYU. PHOTO By CIFOR

BAGI remaja generasi tahun 1980-an bahkan awal 1990-an berkirim surat mungkin hal biasa. Menulis surat untuk pacar, orangtua, surat izin di sekolah, bahkan untuk artis-artis.

Saya jadi ingat saat sekolah di Nyarumkop, Singkawang dan tinggal di Asrama yang dikelola para biarawan kapusin. Setiap akhir bulan saya akrab berkirim surat ke orangtua di kampung. Continue reading →

Tais Timor Mulai Langka

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Produksi Tais Timor atau yang dikenal dengan kain tenun asli Timor Leste mulai langka. Penyebabnya, sejak tahun 1975 hinga sekarang sudah semakin sedikit pengerajin yang membuat Tais Timor.

Di antara sebab tak diproduksinya lagi Tais Timor karena perang serta teknologi moderen yang mempenggaruhi.

Saat ini masih ada sebagian kecil perempuan di daerah terpencil dan pedalaman yang memiliki keterampilan merajut Tais Timor. Sayangnya, produksi Tais Timor tidak mencukupi kebutuhan akan kain tenun itu sendiri.

Proses membuat benang asli dari Timor Leste membutukan waktu yang cukup lama. Bahan untuk membuat benang diambil dari kapas yang dipintal kemudian diolah menjadi benang. Untuk membuat satu Tais Timor membutuhkan sekitar 5 Kg benang.

Benang tersebut diberi warna menggunakan daun pohon yang dalam bahasa Tetun disebut dengan Kla dan daun Taun. Prosesnya daun Kla dimasak, setelah airnya hitam kebiru-biruan benang dimasukkan di dalam tempat merebus daun Kla itu tadi.Setelah diangkat, disimpan di kubangan kerbau sehingga warnanya alami dan tetap tahan lama.

Benang tersebut disimpan dalam kubangan selama satu hari dan mendapatkan warna cokelat. Setelah itu dicuci bersih baru ijemur sampai kering.

Sedangkan proses pewarnaan menggunakan daun Taun tidak pakai rebus. Benang dan dan daun Taun direndam selama sebulan. Setelah itu diproses dalam kubangan kerbau sehingga warnanya menjadi hitam

Untuk menenun Tais Timor rata-rata membutuhkan waktu antara satu hingga dua minggu. Beberapa Tais Timor yang terkenal antara lain Tais Marobo yang terletak di Distrik Bobonaro. Harga Tais Timor asli rata-rata $ USA 60 hingga $ USA 100.

Keberadaan Tais Timor sangat penting, sebab digunakan untuk upacara kematian dan mas kawin sebagai belis atau hantaran. Tais Timor juga biasanya digunakan untuk menerima kunjungan pejabat atau orang penting. ***

PNG village built sea wall

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One of many PNG maritime villages facing threats of sea level rise. Pic by: Sven Rudolf Jan

by Anisah Issimel, NBC News, PNG

A rural village on the northern maritime province of Madang in Papua New Guinea has embarked on a small project to build a sea wall in a bid to save its shorelines from constant sea battering.

Riwo Village, with a population of just over two thousand people, has lost a large portion of its shoreline in the last five years to sea weathering and the rising sea level.

The idea to build the sea wall was an initiative of the local village leaders in light of the ongoing effects of climate change.

The leaders had initially raised the idea with their provincial governor, James Gau, requesting financial assistance to build the wall, and so far had recieved 100 thousand kina from the PNG Government to help them.

The villagers had since completed part of the wall but will need further financial assistance to complete the entire project.

Climate Change is ‘most shocking’ in Kiribati, says UN Secretary-General

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UN Secretary-General in Kiribati wearing traditional fishing hat

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that he’s very shocked to see for himself the drastic impacts of Climate Change in Kiribati particulary in the nation’s capital Tarawa.

“I have been to north and south pole and I have been to other places around the world and my visit to Kiribati is the most shocking. Even a small sea level rise could affect the whole Kiribati”, he said.

Ba Ki-moon made the statement when he paid a visit to “te Bikenikoora”, one of the settlements on Tarawa that has been seriously impacted by sea level rise thus leaving residents of the settlement with no other options but to seek for immediate relocation.

He further added that Climate Change is compromising the ability of people to sustain life.

In his address to the residents of the settlement Ban Ki-moon was frequently asked by threatened villagers as to what would the United Nations do to save Kiribati from sinking under water in 50 to 60 years time as predicted by scientists.

He also urged that people from all walks of life in this globe must come together to deal with the climate change threat.

“As secretary-general, I promise you, I pledge and I will do my best under my power as Secretary-General to fight for you until we achieve the real result”, he promised villagers.

Ban Ki-moon was on a 2-day visit to Kiribati as part of his tour of the Pacific this year.

Water shortage affecting Samoa

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Samoa has been experiencing a shortage of water as rainfall expected in the months of September and October did not arrive as expected. During those months the Samoa Water Authorityhas been carting water to the remote villages of Se’ese’e, Lepa and Saleapaga.

Water rationing has also been allocated to different areas of the country at certain hours throughout the day. Urban Manager of Samoa Water Auhority Ekiumen Fauolo says, ” There has been a bit of an improvement with a few showers in the last couple of days but it is still important to conserve water as reasonable rainfall is yet to be expected this month.”

Water shortage in Samoa Photo by : Alex(inyoureyes)

Farmers who had also been concerned about their crops are relieved as there were concerns of drought occuring if there was still no rainfall over the next few months. The government agriculture plantation at Nuu though are secure as they have their own irrigation systems n place.

There have also been calls to help out neigbouring Tokelau as they have declared a a drought related state of emergency.