President and Sabina host a garden party celebrating Sustaining and Conserving our Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources

It was an absolute delight to be invited to the President’s Garden Party on Thursday 27^th June at Áras an Uachtaráin. The Garden Party was celebrating sustaining and conserving our Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources UN sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life below water).  The day was hosted by President Michael Higgins and Sabina and it was a joy to meet so many like-minded people working to protect and sustain the oceans.  The Irish weather was true to form for a summer garden party with all the seasons in the afternoon, but the President took it all in his stride as he welcomed guests.

 

“Today’s garden party is dedicated to a theme that resonates deeply with our commitment to a sustainable and thriving planet – UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, based on sustaining and conserving our oceans, seas and marine resources…. We are delighted to acknowledge and celebrate your work as we invite you to enjoy for a while the house and the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin” he said.

President Michael Higgins and Dr. Samantha Hallam

Gertrude Miria, MSc Climate Change student and Irish Aid Fellow from Papua New Guinea, joined me at the Garden Party and we had a wonderful time strolling the grounds and chatting about sea level rise in Papua New Guinea and how stronger storms are increasing storm surge across many islands in more recent years.  Michael also picked up on this in his talk. 

“In the Pacific Islands, rising sea levels are eroding shorelines and contaminating freshwater supplies with saltwater. Entire communities are being displaced, forced to leave their ancestral lands and seek refuge elsewhere. Many of these communities that depend on the oceans for their survival are the least contributors to our climate crisis, with some of the smallest carbon footprints in the world measured on either a per-capita or percentage-of-GDP basis. Yet, these communities are on the frontlines of climate change, bearing the brunt of environmental degradation caused by the actions of others. What a profound injustice this constitutes.”

Gertrude commented “The President of Ireland has addressed the harsh reality faced by many island communities in the Pacific, who are at risk of losing their homes and lands sooner than expected. Given the inadequate adaptive capacities and technology available to us, it is worrying to contemplate the future for these communities. This is the stark reality that people must live in this warming world.”

Gertrude Miria and Samantha Hallam

 

TOPIM projected funded by Irish Aid

Currently I am leading work on the TOPIM project which is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs though lreland’s development cooperation programme, Irish Aid, administered and managed by the Marine Institute on behalf of Irish Aid/DFA.  We are working with The University of West Indies in Jamaica and Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences. TOPIM is an ocean-coupled dynamical and statistical model for tropical cyclone intensity prediction. TOPIM will provide the Caribbean islands with a local operational tool to assist their hurricane intensity predictions and assist with local preparedness in advance of tropical cyclones reaching the islands. We are launching the TOPIM model in Jamaica later this month.  

But the Caribbean is already extremely active this year with hurricane Beryl which is marching away from the Windward Islands with 165 mph winds after tearing through scores of homes in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where many are still without power or water. By Wednesday afternoon, the storm is forecast to hammer Jamaica with life-threatening winds and storm surge. The storm continues to smash records as it kicks off an exceptionally early hurricane season – now becoming the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record and only the second Atlantic storm of such strength to be recorded in July. In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened,” Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said Monday.

Hurricane Beryl 2nd July 2024 - Image Courtesy of NASA

The President’s words last Thursday seem very poignant this week;

 

“We must at every level reaffirm our commitment to protecting the life below water, carrying with us a renewed sense of purpose and dedication, and pledge to uphold our moral duty to protect the oceans in our actions and policies, to work together, across borders and sectors, to ensure that our oceans remain vibrant and resilient, supporting the needs of present and future generations, to ensure that Sustainable Development Goal 14 is achieved as a matter of the utmost urgency”

 

We are currently thinking of everyone in the Caribbean 

 

Papua New Guinea in context

 

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an archipelagic nation located in the Western Pacific Ocean and is known as the 'Rim of Fire' region. The country's main landmass comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. It falls within the influence of the 'Pacific Warm Pool,' which is the warmest part of any ocean on the planet. PNG has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covering 3.12 million km2, with a coastline of 17.110 million km, making up 88 percent of its total area (GoPNG 2019).

 

Situated in the southwestern Pacific near the equator, Papua New Guinea is characterized by numerous mountain ranges and some of the world’s last remaining tropical wilderness. The marine and coastal ecosystems in PNG significantly contribute to the national economy and support the livelihoods of coastal and island communities. The country's fisheries industry alone contributes an estimated PGK 350-400 million annually to the economy (GoPNG 2020).

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is situated in the 'Coral Triangle', known as the center of diversity for corals and other marine life. In PNG, over 7000 km2 of reef have been mapped, housing more than 500 species of coral (PNG Protected Areas Policy 2014). The coral reefs and associated marine habitats are home to approximately 2800 species of fish, representing about 10% of the world's total. Additionally, 44 species of mangrove have been recorded, which provide vital breeding grounds for marine life (GoPNG 2014).

 

The majority of lands and nearshore marine areas are owned by customary landowners. Our landowners and communities have inherited valuable knowledge and wisdom for sustainable living on land and sea. Our traditional cultures are deeply intertwined with the biodiversity of the land and sea. Customary landowners and communities actively participate in all decisions related to their lands and seas. However, global warming is now posing a threat to our communities and resources on land and in the sea. This threat is manifested through sea level rise, which significantly endangers the livelihoods of those who rely on these resources for their daily needs. 

 

Papua New Guinea - Image courtesy of Dr. Andy Lewis