Early warnings and sea level rise are focus of Pacific Islands Forum
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo have joined in rallying calls for climate action and early warnings in Pacific islands who are on the frontline of climate change.
In an address to the opening of the 18-Member Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga, Mr Guterres said that the Pacific “is a beacon of solidarity and strength, environmental stewardship and peace.”
Celeste Saulo joined Mr Guterres at the Forum, to bring attention to how climate change and associated sea-level rise is impacting Pacific islands, and to highlight the need for Early Warnings for All as a crucial climate adaptation tool.
The Pacific Islands Forum also provided the backdrop for the inauguration of a new weather radar at Tonga’s Fua’amotu International Airport; a new weather app to inform the local population of impending hazards; and a new booklet in the Tongan language to encourage children to become disaster champions. These are all in support of the global Early Warnings For All initiative and the Weather Ready Pacific programme.
The new radar is the result of collaboration between New Zealand's Met Service and Tonga's National Meteorological and Hydrological Service and is funded by New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade. It will help fill gaps in basic observations and forecasting data and enhance severe weather forecasting in the Pacific, a critical step to helping communities prepare for, and respond to, severe weather.
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Winston Peters, Met Service Chief Executive Officer Stephen Hunt, Sefanaia Nawadra Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and Hon. Fekita ‘Utoikamanu Minister for Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communication were among those attending the ceremony.
Multi-hazard early warnings
Tonga, like other Pacific Islands, is impacted by a multitude of cascading hazards, as highlighted by the 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. This unleashed a basin-wide tsunami and sent vast amounts of water vapour into the atmosphere, affecting the global climate.
A minor earthquake occurred during the UN Secretary-General's visit to a school.
“Just as I was talking to children and young people in Tonga today about the importance of disaster preparedness, we experienced an earthquake,” Mr Guterres posted on LinkedIn. “Thanks to early warning systems, we were soon informed that there was no threat of a tsunami. These tools are vital for so many - in the Pacific and beyond,” he commented.
A new Tonga Mobile Application for Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Response, known as MACRES, was launched by Celeste Saulo as part of the drive to promote multi-hazard early warnings.
The app is a direct response to the volcanic eruption and tsunami of 2022 and the request for assistance by Tonga to WMO and the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Secretariat.
Funding was provided through the CREWS Accelerated Support Window to develop the Tonga MACRES application—an essential tool for community-based multi-hazard early warning and response.
“The development of Tonga MACRES is a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of the Tongan people. It was created by Tongans, for Tongans, and tailored to address the unique challenges faced by this island nation,” said Celeste Saulo.
Tonga MACRES is designed with inclusivity in mind. It ensures that warnings and alerts reach a broad audience, including those with disabilities, through prominent visual and accessible features. Furthermore, its crowdsourcing capabilities allow communities to provide real-time reports on hazards and damage, empowering local decision-makers with valuable, on-the-ground information.
“At its core, the purpose of Tonga MACRES is to save lives, minimize property damage, and build a more resilient Tonga. By delivering timely and accurate information directly to communities, this application will enable proactive measures that protect people and their homes,” said Celeste Saulo.
Cope Initiative
A new book from WMO and the COPE initiative on disaster champions, in the local Tongan language, was released by Mr Guterres during his visit to schoolchildren.
It seeks to enhance children’s understanding of climate change and extreme weather and disaster risk reduction and equip them with the knowledge and skills to reduce risks and respond effectively to disasters.
COPE is a series of illustrated, not-for-profit storybooks created in 2018, aiming to increase the disaster resilience of children globally, especially those living in less advantaged areas.
The books cover natural hazards ranging from floods to earthquakes, wildfires to cyclones, storm surge to tsunami. The books provide coping tools, preparedness, and relatable stories in an imaginative way that is easy to understand.
The books have been distributed in 40 countries, more than 3 million children have had access to the series.
WMO has been contributing to the COPE initiative in the following aspects:
WMO serves as a scientific advisor, promoting a creative, narrative, collaborative, and contextually sensitive educational approach to disasters that highlight key messages that are easy for children to remember such as EVACUATE for floods or DROP COVER HOLD for earthquakes.
WMO also encourages its Members to use COPE material in formal and informal education about climate change and sustainability.
To better spread knowledge, COPE series are all provided free of charge, without any copyright restrictions.
Translations including sign language for disabilities
The inclusion of disabilities and children's rights perspective has been carefully vetted by experts at UNICEF, East Asia and Pacific. The COPE team creatively integrates sign language across the narratives via an ongoing partnership with the University of Brazil, and the use of Brazilian Sign Language.
