Te Kaniva Tuvalu Climate Change Policy 2012-2021.

The present Climate Change Policy prescribes the Government and the people of Tuvalu’s strategic policies for responding to climate change impacts and related disaster risks over the next 10 years (2012-2021). The Policy is directly linked to the National Strategic Action Plan for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (NSAP). In both the Policy and NSAP, climate change refers to both adaptation and mitigation unless specifically differentiated. The Policy covers climate change impacts and related climate and hydrological hazards whereas the NSAP covers geological and anthropological hazards and related 47 disasters. The overall vision of the present Policy is to protect Tuvalu’s status as a nation and its cultural identity and to build its capacity to ensure a safe, resilient and prosperous future. In particular, the Policy defines seven thematic goals, strategies and desired outcomes that the Government and the people of Tuvalu have prioritised for implementation to ensure that safety and resilience are achieved. The Goals are as follows: 1) Strengthening adaptation actions to address current and future vulnerabilities; 2) Improving understanding and application of climate change data, information and site specific impacts assessment to inform adaptation and disaster risk reduction programmes; 3) Enhancing Tuvalu’s Governance arrangements and capacity to access and manage climate change and disaster risk management finances; 4) Developing and maintaining Tuvalu’s infrastructures to withstand climate change impacts, climate variability, disaster risks and climate change projection; 5) Ensuring energy security and a low carbon future for Tuvalu; 6) Planning for effective disaster preparedness, response and recovery; 7) Guaranteeing the security of the people of Tuvalu from the impacts of climate change and the maintenance of national sovereignty.
Some related strategies are: for Goal 1: Health and socio-economic implications (inclusive of gender) of climate change and disaster risks informing appropriate health and socio-economic adaptation programmes for each island; for Goal 2: Upgrading the capacity of the National Meteorology Services (NMS) including stations on the outer islands; Climate change and disaster risk management information are incorporated into school curriculum; for Goal 3: Robust financial management procedures and procurement policy for donor funded (or partnerships supported) climate change and disaster risk management programmes; for Goal 4: Climate proof and secure key infrastructure against climate change impacts, climate variability, disaster risks and projected climate change; for Goal 5: Promote energy efficiency and conservation programmes; Mitigation plans for the agriculture and waste management sectors to reduce green house gas emissions; for Goal 6: Strengthen the coordination, operational arrangements for disaster management (at national, sectoral, island and community levels); Effective disaster response system capability; for Goal 7: Effective disaster response system capability. The text of the Policy consists of 6 chapters.