Experts from across the Pacific will gather next week in Auckland, New Zealand, to discuss the health challenges posed by climate change in the Pacific region and explore potential solutions.
The workshop is organized by the Pacific and Global Health Centre (Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa) and will bring together regional knowledge holders and researchers. Dr. Roannie Ng Shiu, the centre’s director, highlighted that rising temperatures in Pacific islands are a serious health threat, often described as a “silent killer.”
Dr. Ng Shiu said the meeting will examine the multifaceted health impacts of climate change, including rising rates of non-communicable diseases and vector-borne illnesses such as dengue fever. She noted that climate change is affecting sustainable agriculture and local food production, while frequent and severe cyclones are damaging infrastructure and hindering development gains. For example, the damage caused by Cyclone Winston in Fiji is estimated at approximately $4.8 billion.
Furthermore, climate change is exacerbating shortages in clean water and sanitation facilities, leaving the Pacific with some of the lowest rates of access to safe drinking water globally. Dr. Ng Shiu emphasized the need to study communities’ adaptive capacity and resilience while calling on the international community—especially major greenhouse gas emitters—to take responsibility and promote climate justice.
The meeting will also release the first “landscape countdown” report for small island developing states, which reveals rising mortality linked to high temperatures, particularly affecting vulnerable groups such as infants and the elderly. Dr. Ng Shiu stressed that the Pacific, as a highly climate-vulnerable region, faces unprecedented health risks.
Regarding preparedness in New Zealand and Australia, Dr. Ng Shiu said there is significant room for improvement. While Australia has invested substantial development aid in the Pacific, much of it focuses on geopolitical and security issues, with less support directed at health. She added that climate change may increase the number of environmental refugees, but most Pacific Islanders prefer to remain in their homelands and need assistance to adapt to changing conditions. Notably, the Pacific region contributes only 0.03% of global greenhouse gas emissions yet bears the brunt of climate impacts.
Additionally, the Pacific and Global Health Centre is working closely with New Zealand’s MetService to enhance monitoring and early warning systems for climate-related health risks. By integrating meteorological data with health indicators, the centre aims to provide targeted public health interventions, particularly for Pacific nations with limited resources to manage disasters.
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