National Policy of Combating Climate Change 2007.

The National Policy of Combating Climate Change is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The purpose of this Policy is to increase resilience of Samoa to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to its impacts in an effective and sustainable manner. The objectives of this Policy are: (i) to promote public awareness and improve stakeholder understanding of the causes and effects of climate change, (ii) to strengthen the management of climate change information, (iii) capacity building on effective national responses to climate change, (iv) to implement mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, (v) to implement adaptation measures to protect Samoa from the impacts of climate change, and (vi) to establish a regulatory framework to facilitate the national responses to climate change.
Climate change adaptation and mitigation will be integrated into energy, industry, construction, health, infrastructure, environment, waste management, water supply, agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. Research will be conducted on the causes and effects of climate change and its impacts on the various sectors of the economy. National capacity building will be strengthened to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, community-based projects will be carried out to promote best practices and to increase community resilience. Public awareness will be raised on the causes and effects of climate change and the concept of GHG emissions through educational and promotional programmes such as seminars, workshops and training courses. Furthermore, climate change issues will be incorporated into school curriculum. Awareness raising programmes shall target specific groups such as local communities, young people and students. The capacity of technical personnel will be improved through the transfer of technology and skills. Climate change related databases will be developed for management plans and policy formulation to ensure informed decision-making. The funding of climate change programmes will be incorporated into the national budget. Financial incentives will be provided to encourage climate change adaptation and mitigation actions as well as research and development. In order to reduce GHG emissions, the national GHG inventories will be updated, GHG emission will be monitored, and Clean Development Mechanism projects will be promoted. Energy efficiency measures will be taken in the relevant sectors through the development and use of renewable energy resources.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of this Policy with the relevant agencies. This Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis to assess the progress of implementation, with an independent evaluation to be carried out every five years. New climate change legislation will be enacted to enable national adaptation and mitigation actions in compliance with national climate change policies and standards.