News from 2017-11-14 / KfW Development Bank
It affects everyone
The government of Fiji is preparing for the impacts of climate change
Fiji is already hit by climate change. Do you know now many people are affected?
Everyone will be affected in some way or another. For instance, if farmers are hit by extreme events like prolonged droughts or intense rainfall, this reduces local food supply which in turn drives prices up. We live in a small island ecosystem where the inter-connectivity between sectors is very strong. However, we do have especially vulnerable communities. For example rural communities living with agriculture as their only source of income are badly affected when extreme events strike. Coastal communities on small islands face the threat of rising sea-level and increased storms and floods.
Do you already make plans for the relocation of people?
Yes, efforts are already underway to address the most urgent communities. It also has to be recognised that relocation should be taken as a last resort due to the social and cultural impacts such actions will have. For slow impacts - like sea-level rise or coastal inundation - the need to relocate may not be so immediate and thorough technical, environmental and social assessments need to be taken to ensure a sustainable outcome. This includes identifying the root causes of the problem and assessing potential conflicts that may arise from relocations. In some cases that may be due to poor infrastructure or due to the exploitation of the environment, like the removal of mangroves and vegetation
How do you do that in a coordinated manner?
The government is currently working on a national relocation guideline for that purpose. And it has already assisted communities when they were hit by sudden and extreme events and their impacts. An example are communities on Koro Island affected by Cyclone Winston, the first category 5 storm ever in the southern hemisphere.
What kind of support do you expect from the international community?
The international community should scale up financing support to us island countries. It can help by sharing their skills, knowledge and technologies. There needs to be more accessible financing to developing countries.
The interview was conducted by Friederike Bauer
