Welcome to the Vanuatu Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Portal. This UNDER CONSTRUCTION/ DRAFT PORTAL SITE will eventually provide a mechanism for improved coordination, collaboration and governance of these critical issues to our country. In its pages you will find a calendar of events, documents and reports, an overview of current and past climate and disaster risk projects, and a contact list of government and non government stakeholders.
NOTE: As of 4 May 2012, the e National Advisory Board for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAB) holds the overarching mandate for steering and coordination of all relevent policy, mainstreaming and implementation advise for all partners in Vanuatu. The NAB has effectively merged the National Advisory Committee on Climate Change (NACCC) and the National Task Force for NAP Implementation (NTF), and these bodies no longer exist.
Vanuatu's Climate Change & Disaster Risk Portal is fully linked to SPREP's regional climate change portal: http://www.pacificclimatechange.net
What is climate change?
Climate change refers to a change in the average weather (or its variability and extremes) over time. The climate of Vanuatu is now changing:
1. Temperatures have warmed will continue to warm with more very hots days in the future
2. Wet Season rainfall has decreased in Port Vila since 1950, but rainfall at Aneityum shows no clear change. Rainfall parerns are projected to change over this century, with more extreme rainfall days expected.
3. Projections suggest decreasing numbers of tropical cyclones, but a possible shift towards more intense storms
4. Sea Level has risen and will continue to rise throughout this century.
5. Ocean acidification in Vanuatu has increased and will continue into the future.
The primary focus of the Republic of Vanuatu is on adaptation to climate change and risk reduction; enabling ni-Vanuatu people to cope with and prepare adequately for changes.