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43RD ANNUAL PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM POISED TO BRING MAJOR OCEAN CONSERVATION COMMITMENTS

View of Rarotonga from the harbor. Cook Islans. © Conservation International/photo by Russell A. Mittermeier

Leaders from the 16 member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat will be in Rarotonga next week as the Forum holds its 43rd annual meeting, this year with the declared theme: Large Ocean States — The Pacific Challenge. The combined exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Forum members cover close to eight per cent of the planet’s surface and 10 per cent of its oceans.

 

During the Forum several member countries are expected to confirm significant contributions to the Pacific Oceanscape.  These commitments are poised to further cement the role of Pacific Island nations as world leaders in innovative large-scale ocean management.

 

Conservation International (CI) has worked with governments and communities of the Pacific Ocean for more than 15 years, contributing to the design of several large-scale marine conservation efforts, including theEastern Tropical Pacific Seascape, Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands Protected Area and the Pacific Oceanscape. CI’s Pacific team has been supporting the Cook Islands in its land-based conservation endeavors for several years and is an advisor on the development and design of the Cook Islands Marine Park which will be officially launched at the opening of the Forum on August 28.

 

The Cook Islands Marine Park is a courageous initiative, reflecting the guardianship Cook Islanders have long felt for their ocean. The designation of more than 1 million square kilometers of ocean and island ecosystems in the Southern Cook Island will make this the world’s largest declared marine park and will be a major addition to the Pacific Oceanscape.

 

The Pacific Oceanscape is the world’s largest government-endorsed ocean initiative. It is a collaborative agreement between 16 Pacific Island nations, covering an area larger than the surface of the moon (40 million square kilometres). Endorsed by Forum leaders in 2010, the Oceanscape provides a framework for the integrated conservation management of the Pacific Ocean and Islands, and covers ocean health and security; governance; sustainable resource management; increased research and knowledge investment; and facilitating the partnerships and cooperation needed to support the conservation this vast ecosystem.

 

For Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna this role in the protection and development of the Pacific Ocean is no mean task. ‘It is a major contribution to the well-being of humanity,’ he says. ‘This is the Pacific Challenge we face. Do we take this challenge on with a name and identity that makes us small and not linked with the ocean in our own eyes and the eyes of the world?  Or do we stand together with renewed pride and commitment as the world’s largest ocean-island states?’ Dr. Greg Stone, Conservation International’s Chief Scientist for Oceans and one of the architects of PIPA, the Pacific Oceanscape’s foundation site, believes the biggest challenge facing all leaders is finding ways to ensure a healthy and productive home for all.

 

"Our most important role should be that of custodians of the ocean, as such we must reach out to similar people elsewhere in the common task of protecting the seas for the general welfare of all living things,” said Stone.    

More information:

• CI at the Pacific Islands Forum
• Pacific Oceanscape
• Pacific Oceanscape Factsheet (PDF)
• Cook Islands Marine Park factsheet (PDF)
• Pacific Islands and Ocean Programme Factsheet (PDF)
• Pacific Oceanscape brochure (PDF)

 

 

Only 2 percent of Canadians deny climate change

Canadians overwhelmingly believe in climate change

		Dr. Carmen Dybwad speaks to the media about the release of IPAC-CO2 Research Inc.'s 2012 national survey on Public Awareness and Acceptance of CCS in Canada, which found that only two percent of Canadians deny climate change. Credit: IPAC-CO2 Research Inc.

Only two per cent of Canadians believe climate change is not occurring, a new important survey released today by IPAC-CO2 Research Inc. concluded.

The survey comes on the heels of Alberta Premier Alison Redford's recent push for a National Energy Strategy, which would address the future of Canada's oil and gas industries, and its approach to carbon management.

"Our survey indicates that Canadians from coast to coast overwhelmingly believe climate change is real and is occurring, at least in part due to human activity" explained Dr. Carmen Dybwad, CEO of the environmental non-government organization. "These findings have been consistent from 2011 and 2012. Canadians care about issues like extreme weather, drought and climate change."

Opinions about the cause of climate change and how to combat it are, however, sharply divided among the provinces and by region.

"Canadians most commonly (54%) believe that climate change is occurring partially due to human activity and partially due to natural climate variation," said Briana Brownell of Insightrix Research, who conducted the survey for IPAC-CO2.

"Residents of Quebec (44 %), Atlantic Canada (34%) and British Columbia (32 %) are more likely to believe climate change is occurring due to human activity than those on the Prairies (Alberta and Saskatchewan 21 %, Manitoba 24 %)."

Canadians are also divided on what they believe should be the priorities to fight climate change.

A total of 35% of Canadians believe the priority should be to promote cleaner cars running on electricity or low-carbon fuels while only 13% favored a tax on carbon dioxide emissions from the whole economy. Support for a carbon tax is lowest in B.C. (6%) and highest in Quebec (24%).

A key solution cited by Canadians is Carbon Capture and Storage, or CCS, which involves capturing carbon dioxide from an industrial source of greenhouse gases, transporting it, and storing it deep in the Earth's subsurface.

A majority of Canadians agree that capturing and storing carbon dioxide should be compulsory when building a new coal (59%) or natural gas (57%) power plant, though Canadians are concerned about the risks associated with CCS.

Quebec residents (71%) would be the most concerned if carbon dioxide was stored underground within 1.5 kilometres to 3 kilometres from their home, while Saskatchewan residents (43%) were the least worried.

Residents of B.C. (60%) are most likely to believe that the storage of carbon dioxide represents a safety risk in the future. Again, Saskatchewan residents (48%) are significantly less likely to hold this belief.

"CCS is not the "magic bullet" solution to combat climate change, but the development of CCS technology represents a necessary step in reducing Canada's emissions," said Dr. Dybwad.

For a second consecutive year, IPAC-CO2 contracted Insightrix Research, Inc. to conduct an online survey of Canadian residents. Survey responses were collected from 1,550 Canadians between May 29 and June 11.

The percentage of Canadians who are unsure whether or not they would benefit from CCS has increased notably from 42% in 2011 to 48% in 2012.

Residents of Ontario are more likely to believe that it would (33%) benefit them, while in Quebec the reverse is true, where 30% believe they would not benefit from the technology.

The proportion of Canadians who are unsure of the effectiveness of carbon capture and storage has increased notably from one quarter (24%) in 2011 to one third (35%) in 2012.

Despite the concerns many Canadians have about the technology, Dr. Dybwad remained optimistic about the future of CCS and its impact on Canada's environment.

"Canadians are concerned about the risks and benefits involved with CCS, but IPAC-CO2 exists to ensure that carbon dioxide is stored safely and permanently in the ground by providing risk and performance assessments of carbon dioxide storage projects."

The 2012 survey on Public Awareness and Acceptance of CSS in Canada now is available on IPAC-CO2's website.

Contact: Joe Ralko
joe.ralko@ipac-co2.com
306-206-0127
International Performance Assessment Centre for Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide (IPAC-CO2)