Ms. Shirley Koshiba, a researcher at the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), attended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Pacific Writeshop on Climate, Ocean, and Climate Change Science, that was held in Apia, Samoa, from October 28 to 31, 2019.
The purpose of the IPCC Writeshop is to spark more publications coming out of the Pacific region, by Pacific authors and contributors, using Pacific data. Papers generated from this workshop are intended for publication by June 2020 in hopes of including them in the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6).
Pacific Island countries have historically been underrepresented in the IPCC Assessments Reports, which are technical resources published about the state of climate change in the world, based on peer-reviewed science publications. These resources are traditionally used by organizations and governments to make policy and management decisions, inform adaptation and mitigation planning, give context to negotiations, and seek donor funding to build resilience. The lack of Pacific context puts these countries at a disadvantage.
“We are excited that Shirley can join her colleagues from around the Pacific to raise the profile of Pacific issues using data from the Pacific,” stated PICRC CEO, Dr. Yimnang Golbuu. “It is critical for the Pacific researcher to be part of the process and to give the Pacific context to peer-reviewed scientific publications that can be used to draft the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.” (PR)