Climate change impact Community security impact Sea level rise Land security in coastal and atoll locations may be severely reduced and there may be impacts on livelihood security through loss of agricultural land and salinisation of soils, plants and water supplies • inundation • coastal erosion • storm surge exacerbated Water resource impacts • rainfall uncertainty • increased frequency and magnitude of droughts • reduced quantity and quality of water resources • salinisation Livelihood security may be affected by decreased agricultural productivity and habitat security may be adversely affected by water borne diseases. Coral reef health decline • reef degradation as a result of increased sea surface temperatures and increased ocean acidity Livelihood security may be compromised by reductions in fisheries and other marine resources dependent upon healthy coral environment. Land security may be reduced by increased exposure to high waves and storm surge. Agricultural production decline • adverse effects from a variety of processes including temperature rise, reduced water availability, salinisation, exposure to tropical cyclones (wind, rain and wave damage) Reduced agricultural productivity would impinge upon livelihood security and where extremely severe may render some locations uninhabitable. Human health challenges • changing disease vectors such as malaria, dengue • increased incidence of water borne disease • increased incidence of heat related diseases Effects on human health are likely to reduce the habitat security of island settlement locations and where severe may render some locations uninhabitable. SOURCE: UNESCAP (2014) – MODIFIED FROM CAMPBELL (2014) Figure 5: The main effects of climate change on Pacific Islands and implications for community security Pacific Region Exclusive Economic Zones Tuna fisheries are a major source of income for many Pacific nations. Approximately half of the worlds canning tuna comes from the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 50-60 percent of the total amount of tuna caught in the Pacific is caught within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)39 of Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency member nations.40 Under international law, coastal states are required to determine their own mapping, delimiting and declaration of maritime borders, the rules for which are codified in the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under UNCLOS the rules for boundaries are tied to measurements from baseline land features, at the tidal low-water mark. However, UNCLOS is silent on whether the low-water mark is ambulatory or static 39 40 16 from the date that UNCLOS came into force. Thus, the threat of sea-level rise and its effect on maritime boundaries is a risk for many Pacific nations whose EEZs are extended by various land masses under UNCLOS jurisdiction. Therefore, for those Pacific nations whose land features are atolls, especially Tokelau, Kiribati and Tuvalu, having their EEZs identified and ratified is intricately linked to sea-level rise from climate change. In this context, the key human rights implications for affected Pacific nations include the right to derive income from fishing, the right to derive sustenance from fishing and the right to make decisions about stewardship of the water space, and fishing activities. The adverse effect on the social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being of these nations were of high concern for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand raised in the fono. An exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is a sea zone prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea over which a sovereign state has special rights regarding the exploration and use of marine resources. It stretches from the baselines out to 200 nautical miles from the coast of the state in question (See Articles 55-57 of UNCLOS). FAO – Annex D, regional MCES The South Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency Experience - http://www.fao.org/3/Y4411E/ y4411e0e.htm. Talanoa: Human rights issues for Pacific peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand