Visit the News page for press releases and announcements, and see the Media Coverage page for examples of past media coverage.
General
Briefing Notes
Quotes
"...let me highlight the project Many Strong Voices, which has enabled mutual exchange of competence and knowledge between SIDS communitites and communities in the Arctic, thus paving the way for building and developing coastal communities' capacity for dealing with climate change." - Ellen Svendsen, High Executive Officer, Section of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“Climate change has an impact on almost every aspect of our lives. Most of our rural communities are still very dependent on natural resources such as fisheries, agriculture, or forestry to earn a living, but because of climate change, these resources are becoming scarcer.” - Taito Nakalevu, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
" During my childhood days in Kiribati, we never experienced severe sea flooding. There were storms, but they weren’t that bad. As the sea levels continue to rise in Kiribati, several king tides hit the island. Saltwater intrusion affects the quality of water in wells, floods taro patches, gardens, and puts stress on plants/trees which are very important to the life and culture of an I-Kiribati. …Serious storm surges cause coastal erosion, floods grave yards, and in 2006, led to the collapse of the beautiful Dai Nippon causeway. This incident bore huge costs on the people of Kiribati. They had to build new homes with their own finance, and dig up their deceased relatives from their graves and bury them further inland." - Ben Namakin, Conservation Society of Ponhpei, Federated States of Micronesia, quoted in WWF Climate Witness Programme
“What is at stake here is not just the extinction of animals but the extinction of Inuit as a hunting culture. Climate change in the Arctic is a human issue, a family issue, a community issue, and an issue of cultural survival. The joining of circumpolar peoples with Pacific Island and Caribbean States is surely part of the answer in addressing these issues. Many small voices can make a loud noise.…” - Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Former Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
“Climate change in the Arctic is a human issue, a family issue, a community issue, and an issue of cultural survival. The joining of circumpolar peoples with Pacific Island and Caribbean States is surely part of the answer in addressing these issues. Many small voices can make a loud noise. As we melt, the small developing island states sink.” - Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Former Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
"Now another devastating wave is threatening the lives and livelihoods of people globally - from the fringes of the Arctic to the Caribbean and the scattered islands of the South Pacific. This wave of global warming also brings devastation in its path, but it is moving so slowly that some people fail to recognize its destructive power. Arctic regions and small islands around the world are being hit hardest." - Patricia Cochrane, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference and Taito Nakalevu of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
"Our rights, our human rights that we share with all of you - to live as we do and to enjoy our unique culture as part of the globe's cultural heritage, are at issue. The Arctic dimension and Inuit perspectives on global climate change need to be heard in the corridors of power." - Patricia Cochrane, International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference