Pacific Pandanus, Issue 2, January 2016

Pacific Pandanus is a quarterly newsletter produced by the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative and the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center. 

Summary

This quarter’s issue is dedicated to the dual themes of VULNERABILITY and RESILIENCE. In the context of climate change, vulnerability is the extent to which systems are prone to adverse impacts due to climate change. Vulnerability assessments serve to analyze the projected impacts and risks to biological and socioeconomic sectors. These vulnerability assessments examine species’ ability to survive and thrive in response to external changes.

Resilience is the ability of a system or population to absorb, change, adapt, or evolve to be better prepared for impacts. Science, policy, and community-level actions can all contribute to resilience of a system. On Page 2 read how the Pandanus tree has aided communities to become more resilient through its usefulness as a food and construction source. One example of resilience is using information about coral reef vulnerability and identifying management actions to address and protect coral reefs. The article on Page 4, “Bubbling Under the Surface,” digs deeper into the resilience theme.

In this issue…

About Us, 2

Our Missions

Why Pacific Pandanus?, 2

Bubbling Under the Surface, 4

Climate Waves, 5

Climate In Action, 7

… what’s been happening in the Pacific islands region

Calendar, 9

Opportunities, 10

Staff in Focus/Who We Are, 11