The $3,867,560 NOAA grant will be shared over a five-year period by a variety of partners in the Pacific RISA program. The program was established in 2003 and is one of 11 regional RISA programs supported by NOAA across the U.S. The region covered by the Pacific program includes Hawaii, the Northern Marianas, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau and American Samoa.
“Island communities will have to deal with some of the most extreme impacts of climate change,” said EWC Director of Research Nancy Lewis. “Thanks to NOAA’s continued support for the innovative network of Regional Integrated Science Assessments across the U.S., this new grant will enable the East-West Center and our multiple partners to bring together scientists and decision-makers to help Pacific communities understand, plan for, and respond to changing climate.”
The project emphasizes understanding and reducing Pacific Island vulnerability to climate-related extreme events such as drought, floods, and tropical cyclones. It supports an integrated, interdisciplinary combination of:
• historical analyses of both climate consequences and adaptation;
• the development of integrated, interdisciplinary climate vulnerability assessment models;
• the utilization and enhancement of existing model-based decision support tools; and
• Focused, interactive dialogue with decision-makers through existing regional planning contracts, workshops, small-group meetings and other forms of outreach, dialogue and education.
For more information on the Pacific RISA program, visit www.PacificRISA.org or contact [email protected].
