Climate Change Country Profile: Fiji 1. Country description 1.1 Geography • •

About 300 islands (volcanic and coral atolls) About one third of islands inhabited

Figure 1. Map of Fiji

1.2 Demographics • • • •

Population: more than 800 000 Population distribution: more than 90% living on two main islands Multicultural population: predominately Fijian and Indian (Figure 2) Increasingly urbanized population

Figure 2. Fiji’s multicultural population (1881–1996)

1.3 Economic and industrial development characteristics Information is not available. 1.4 Climate (climatic zones, trends in temperature and precipitation)

Temperatures Degrees C

Figure 3. Annual mean temperature anomalies for Fiji (1956–2005)

2004 2005

Years

•

Figure 4 shows the annual minimum temperature anomies for Fiji. In the past 50 years, Fiji has been recording higher temperatures during the day and night.

Figure 4. Annual minimum temperature anomalies for Fiji (1956–2005) 1.2

Degrees Celcius

1.0

0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

0.0

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

-0.2 -0.4

Years

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Figure 5. Maximum daily rainfall (1940–2006)

Maximum Daily Rainfall (mm)

400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Year

•

Figure 6 shows that the increasing number of natural disasters is weather-related.

Figure 6. Natural disasters related to changes in the weather (1991–2000)

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Figure 7. Trends in the number of disasters reported in the Pacific island region (1950–2004)

Table 1. Economic impact of disasters on Pacific island countries (1950–2004) Country

Number of disasters

Reported losses (US$ in millions)

Fiji Samoa Vanuatu Tonga

38 12 37 16

1174.6 743.4 384.4 171.1

Guam

11

3056.3

Average impact on GDP (%) In disaster years 7.7 45.6 30.0 14.2 Data not available

In all years 2.7 6.6 4.4 1.8 Data not available

Source: World Bank, 2005

2. Burden of climate-sensitive Health Outcomes 2.1 Data on current climate-sensitive disease burdens Climate-sensitive diseases include heat-related diseases, vectorborne diseases, waterborne diseases, diseases from urban air pollution, and diseases related to extreme weather conditions such as floods, droughts, windstorms and fires. 2.2 Potential impacts of climate change on health burden, i.e. qualitative and quantitative projections of future health burdens Information is not available. 2.3 Information on particularly vulnerable populations Information is not available.

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3. National programmes and projects 3.1 Programmes to reduce and/or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions Information is not available. 3.2 Climate change related studies and projects, including their roles in the Second National Communications PROJECT: Climate change adaptation to protect human health •

Objective: To implement a range of strategies, polices and measures that will decrease health vulnerability to current climate variability and future climate change".

•

Intervention package: - Designed to address current deficiencies in the adaptive capacity to deal with water-related adverse health impacts of climate change and climate variability in Fiji. - Spanning four years and budgeted at US$ 777 500 - Project components address: relevancy of policies, innovative mechanisms, and strengthened capacity for related surveillance and response. •

Project components: - Inclusion within all relevant plans, policies, procedures and mechanisms in Fiji, the necessary concepts and action frameworks to protect human health from climate change and variability - Intensification of surveillance and control programmes for the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and Hazardous Materials Divisions (HMD) (including an EWARS and a CC Unit) - Enhancement of activities to rapidly and effectively respond to outbreaks (including timely psychosocial responses)

3.3 Further data and research needs on potential health impacts of climate change Information is not available. 3.4 Current and expected programmes and activities for adaptation to current and projected climate-related health burdens Information is not available.

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4. Institutional organization Key organizations and/or institutions dealing with climate change are: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Department of Environment Meteorological Service Ministry of Agriculture Disaster Management Office Ministry of Works (water and sewerage) Department of Town and Country Planning World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Pacific South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) University of the South Pacific (USP) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country office World Health Organization (WHO) country office.

5. Issues and challenges Critical issues and challenges that the country faces in relation to mitigation and adaptation to climate change to reduce health impacts are: •

limited knowledge of the health impacts of climate change and responses required: - more complex (HSS-GDP%); - role of institutions (physically-conceptually); - advocate mitigation and adaptation; - active National Climate Change Teams; and - human element.

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There are need for: - ‘menu’ of simple, low-cost adaptation measures; - bringing DRR & CCA communities together; - ICC&H network; - formal sustained training to strengthen capacity; - An Asia Pacific Institute for Climate Change and Health (with support from Australia and New Zealand); - International Consortium for Climate Change and Health – Information/Research; and - Adaptation Fund, GEF-PAS.

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