Hon. Gustav Aitaro
Minister, Ministry of State
Government of the Republic of Palau
PO Box 100
The National Capitol
Republic of Palau 96940
Telephone: (680) 767 2509; 2490
Fax: (680) 767 3680; 2443
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Hon. Mr. Steven Victor
Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment
PO Box 100
The National Capitol
Republic of Palau 96940
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Charlene Mersai
National Environment Coordinator
PO Box 6011, Ngerulmud Capital, PW
Republic of Palau 96940
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Michael Blesam
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Environmental Quality Protection Board
PO BOX 8086, Koror, Republic of Palau 96940
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Xavier Erbai Matsutaro
Climate Change Coordinator (UNFCCC Focal Point)
Office of Climate Change
PO Box 6051, Ngerulmud Capital, PW
Republic of Palau 96940
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Maria Ngemaes
Meteorologist in Charge
NOAA - National Weather Service Koror
Email: [email protected]
Date updated: April 2024
Country Overview
Capital: Koror
Land: 487 sq km
EEZ: 600,900 sq km
Population: 19,907 (2005)
Language: English, Palauan
Currency: United States Dollar
Economy: Fisheries and tourism
The Republic of Palau consists mainly of an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean located at approximately 7 degrees North latitude and 134 degrees East longitude. Palau is the westernmost island cluster of the six major island groups that make up the Caroline Islands. The main Palau archipelago is located approximately 800 kilometers east of the Philippines and 800 kilometers north of the island of New Guinea. The western Caroline Islands are exposed peaks of undersea ridges stretching between Japan and New Guinea, and are not located on the Pacific Plate, as are the eastern Carolines. The Palau islands originated on the now dormant southern section of the volcanic Palau-Kyushu Ridge, which formed about 43 million years agoin a complex series of rifting and boundary shifts of the Pacific Plate margin during the formation of the Philippine Basin (Kroenke, 1984).
The main Palau archipelago stretches approximately 200 kilometers in a predominantly north south orientation from the atoll of Ngeruangel in the north to the island of Angaur in the south. In addition to the main archipelago, there are 5 small islands and one atoll (the so-called Southwest Islands) located some 300-500 kilometers to the southwest of the main archipelago and less than 200 kilometers north of the nearest islands of Indonesia. Palau consists of 586 islands, of which only twelve are continuously inhabited. Total land area is 535 km2 and the lagoons around some of the islands encompass more than 1135 km2.
The islands of Palau represent five geological island types, volcanic, high limestone, low limestone, atolls, and a combination of volcanic and limestone (US Army 1956). The largest islands, such as Babeldaob, were formed by Eocene volcanic activity and are composed of basalt and andesite. They tend to have a high profile, well-developed perennial stream systems, and a high diversity of terrestrial flora. Babeldaob, the largest island in Palau, has severely leached and highly acidic soils, unsuited for large-scale agriculture. The world-famous “Rock Islands” are of limestone formation. Kayangel atoll, at the northernmost tip of the archipelago, is a classic coral atoll. Peleliu and Angaur, located at the southern end of the main archipelago, are low platform and reef islands. The Southwest group of islands, 300 to 500 kilometers to the southwest of the main archipelago, is made up of reef flats that have been subjected to uplift, and one atoll (Helen Reef).
Babeldaob island is the largest in the Palau island chain, and the second largest island in Micronesia. Babeldaob constitutes seventy-five percent of Palau’s total landmass. At its greatest width, Babeldaob reaches fifteen kilometers across (APCC, 2001 in NBSAP, Government of Palau 2007). The highest point on Babeldaob, Mt. Ngerchelchuus, also the highest point in Palau, is 275 meters above sea level. With the exception of Kayangel, Angaur, and the Southwest Islands, all of the Palau islands are located within one barrier reef. Palau’s territorial seas extend 12 nautical miles, with a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which encompasses an area of approximately 600,900 square kilometres (Sant and Hays, 1996 in NBSAP, Government of Palau 2007)
Source: ©SPC, 2013.
Date updated: March 2016
[1]Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] (2011). Palau. The World Factbook. Accessed on 29 May 2013,https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ps.html
[2] 'Republic of Palau National Assessment Report: Barbados Programme of Action + 10 Review'
[3] Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] (2011). Palau. The World Factbook. Accessed on 29 May 2013,https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ps.html
[4] Palau Office of Environmental Response and Coordination [POERC] (2002). Palau. First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved fromhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ps.html
[5] UNEP 2012
Current Climate
The most recent climate analyses on the current climate of Palau (2014) show warming trends are evident in both annual and half-year mean air temperatures at Koror from 1951. The annual numbers of Warm Days and Warm Nights have increased and the annual number of Cool Days has decreased. These temperature trends are consistent with global warming.
The annual, half-year and extreme daily rainfall trends show little change at Koror since 1948.
Tropical cyclones (typhoons) affect Palau mainly between June and November. An average of 28 cyclones per decade developed within or crossed the Palau Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the 1977 and 2011 seasons. Seventy-three of the 85 tropical cyclones (86%) between the 1981/82 and 2010/11 seasons were weak to moderate events (below Category 3) in the Palau EEZ. Available data are not suitable for assessing long-term trends.
The variability of wind-waves at Palau is characterised by trade winds and monsoons seasonally, and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) location interannually.
For detailed information, go to : Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, 2014.
Future Climate
For the period to 2100, the latest global climate model (GCM) projections and climate science findings indicate:
- El Niño and La Niña events will continue to occur in the future (very high confidence), but there is little consensus on whether these events will change in intensity or frequency;
- Annual mean temperatures and extremely high daily temperatures will continue to rise (very high confidence);
- Average rainfall is projected to increase, especially in the wet season (medium confidence), along with more extreme rain events(high confidence);
- Droughts are projected to decline in frequency (medium confidence);
- Ocean acidification is expected to continue (very high confidence);
- The risk of coral bleaching will increase in the future (very high confidence);
- Sea level will continue to rise (very high confidence); and
- A reduction of wave height in December–March is projected in 2090 but not 2035, with a slight decrease in wave period (low confidence). In June–September a small decrease in period is projected, with a clockwise rotation toward the south (low confidence).
For detailed information, go to: Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO, 2014.
Date updated: March 2016
Governance
In strengthening its institutional mechanisms for effective policy implementation to respond to climate change, Palau guides it’s governance by the following vision:
“Palau’s enabling framework for good governance (effective, transparent, accountable, responsive, well-coordinated) is established to build resilience to climate change and disasters and manage the transformation to a low carbon economy utilising traditional and elected governance systems.” (National Climate Change Policy, p.26, Government of Palau 2015).
Existing Governance
There is no central focal point for climate change within the Palau government. The Office of Environmental Response and Coordination (OERC) within the Office of the President have the role of coordination within the Environment Sector and house a National Climate Change Coordinator position. The Palau Grants Office is the National Focal Point for both the Adaptation Fund and the Green Climate Fund under the UNFCCC. The Vice President’s Office houses NEMO. NEMO is also the Secretariat for the National Emergency Committee.
The Ad Hoc Climate Change Committee will continue to serve as the National Climate Change Committee.
Gaps in Good governance (Government to Sector level)
Engagement by communities in building climate change resilience has been limited by competing interests, minimal capacity and understanding, and confusion arising from ad hoc government and partner projects on climate change that have not been aligned or coordinated. The absence of a central focal point for climate change and disaster risk programming has resulted in a limited ability to keep key stakeholders engaged over a sustained period of time, while the absence of core budget support from government for climate change programming has resulted in understaffed institutions with inadequate resourcing (human, technical, and financial) to effectively manage pressing climate change and disaster risk management priorities. Capacity assessments determined that within sectors:
- There is some understanding on vulnerabilities to risks from climate change or disasters.
- There is limited understanding of mechanisms/strategies to manage risks.
- There is limited information on energy efficient or renewable energy technologies.
- There is limited understanding of how to transition to energy efficient or renewable energy operations.
- Mainstreaming of climate change and disaster risk management into sector planning, development, and operations has been limited.
- There are limited institutions and tools at sector and site specific levels to manage risks.
- There are limited resources (human, technical, financial) and social capital available.
Palau’s high-level priorities for good governance and institutional management of its policies are outlined below:
Overall Priority | Priority Interventions (of the Government) |
|---|---|
Necessary institutional framework
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Centralized Climate Change Office
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Effective Climate Change Office (Refer also to Annex 1, Section P of the Climate Change Policy 2015)
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Palau endorsed its Climate Change Policy 2015 and is keeping its commitments to the UNFCCC, the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change 2006-2015, the Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Framework for Action 2005–2015, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and the Pacific Island Forum-mandated Regional Strategy for Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific. It establishes a framework that will guide and inform action in accordance with Palau’s Medium Term Development Strategy - Action for Palau’s Future 2009–2014 and the National Master Development Plan – Palau 2020. The main objective of this Policy is to build the resilience of Palau to climate change and disasters. Additional sub-objectives of the Palau Climate Change Policy are to:
- Enhance adaptation and resilience to the expected impacts of global climate change across all sectors,
- Improve Palau’s ability to manage unexpected disasters and minimize disaster risk, and
- Mitigate global climate change by working towards low carbon emission development, maximizing energy efficiency, protecting carbon sinks, and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
The climate change policy establishes, at the highest political level, a single integrated Government Policy with priorities and interventions to establish appropriate institutional frameworks and guide and inform actions that will meet the stated objectives. This Policy articulates Palau’s priority interventions on climate change across all sectors, at all levels (community, state, national, and international). It informs national budgeting and government spending in relation to climate change and in synergy with ongoing economic development and environmental and climate change initiatives. Palau’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan form the basis for Palau’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) that will also inform and facilitate access to international climate change financing under the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund
Palau’s Medium Term Development Strategy – Action for Palau’s Future 2009–2014 sets out key strategies and actions to help achieve economic, social, environmental and cultural goals and is clearly linked to the National Master Development Plan – Palau 2020. Underpinning the MTDS is the overall goal of ‘a sustained and widespread improvement in general standards of living while preserving cultural and environmental value for the people of Palau’. The following five priority policy actions have been identified to ensure meaningful focus and effective commitment:
- fostering sustainable agriculture and fisheries income opportunities;
- positioning Palau as an island of choice for environmentally conscious visitors and realising higher returns to the nation from tourism;
- making critical investments in sanitation, water and power with a prioritisation of maintenance;
- refining foreign investment and foreign worker policies to generate maximum sustainable benefits for Palau; and
- undertaking reforms to ensure a cost conscious and highly productive government
Within each of these priority areas, comprehensive action plans have been developed and within each one particular action have been further prioritised.
Date updated: March 2016
National Climate Change Priorities
Palau’s Climate Change Policy 2015 Vision is:
Happy, healthy, sustainable and resilient Palauan communities in a changing world “A Belau a kldmokl, mesisiich, moduades, e klekar”
There are four (4) strategic priority areas for Palau. The table below outlines the strategic government objectives for each priority:
Priority | Sector | Strategic Objective |
|---|---|---|
1. Climate change adaptation | Agriculture and Fisheries Sector | By 2020, the Palau agriculture and fisheries enabling framework is established to sustainably manage and support local food production and consumption |
Health | By 2020, the enabling framework is established to increase community resilience through improved access to health service. | |
Biodiversity Conservation & Natural Resources | By 2020, the enabling framework is established to build ecosystem resilience and sustainably manage carbon sinks using holistic and synergistic management approaches. | |
Society and Culture | By 2020, community resilience is strengthened through the establishment of sound institutional arrangements that are based on dynamic traditional systems, improved capacity building, a robust labour force, and effective emergency preparedness. | |
Tourism | By 2020, establish the enabling framework to build climate change / disaster resilience in the tourism industry while reducing the carbon footprint from tourism operations | |
Critical Infrastructure | By 2020, enabling framework established to strengthen resilience on critical infrastructure while reducing the carbon footprint from infrastructure. | |
Utilities | By 2020, establish the enabling framework to build resilience to climate change disasters within Palau’s utilities while reducing the carbon footprint from utilities. | |
Finance, Commerce and Economic Development | To have a responsible, dynamic, transparent, sustainable and profitable climate / disaster resilient low carbon economy. | |
Education | By 2020, Palau’s educational system will include coordinated climate change and disaster risk information in its school curriculum and offer educational outreach to the broader community | |
2. Disaster Risk Management | Disaster Preparedness |
|
Disaster Risk Reduction | VISION: DRR programs are fully integrated at the national, state and community levels and address priority hazards, community development, and disaster coping mechanisms, and the include relevant traditional mechanisms, and that include relevant traditional knowledge and practices. | |
3. Mitigation and Low Emissions Development | Improved Institutional Arrangements for Energy Sector Management | An Energy Administration with the authority and support required for effective and transparent implementation of the National Energy Policy and the related Strategic Action Plan |
Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation | A 30% reduction in energy consumption by 2020, recognizing that improving the efficiency of energy use has greater short term impact on reducing fossil fuel consumption of fossil energy than any other action; with taxes and policies revised to encourage the import and sale of: appliances, vehicles, and boats having the highest energy efficiency; and with development of energy efficiency standards for new buildings and renovations including homes, businesses, and government premises. | |
Renewable Energy | 20% contribution of renewable energy to the energy mix by 2020, eventual long-term substitution of all fossil fuels with renewable energy, and minimizing Palau’s carbon footprint, recognizing that renewable energies have the potential to reduce dependency on imported fuels and reduce the country’s vulnerability towards price shock. | |
Electric Power | A secure and diverse electrical power supply using technically and economically feasible methods while ensuring sustainability, quality and continuity of existing electrical generation, distribution, and transmission systems. | |
4. Institutional Mechanisms for Effective Policy Implementation | Necessary Institutional Framework and Climate Change Office (Good Governance) | VISION: Palau’s enabling framework for good governance (effective, transparent, accountable, responsive, well-coordinated) is established to build resilience to climate change and disasters and manage the transformation to a low carbon economy utilising traditional and elected governance systems. |
Date updated: March 2016
Adaptation
The Palau National Climate Change Policy (2015) identified climate change adaptation as one of its key priorities to be addressed. The Policy is considered the single integrated Government Policy with priorities and interventions to establish appropriate institutional frameworks and guide and inform actions at all levels (community, state, national, and international). It informs national budgeting and government spending in relation to climate change and in synergy with ongoing economic development and environmental and climate change initiatives.
Palau’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan form the basis for Palau’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) that will also inform and facilitate access to international climate change financing under the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund.
Palau’s adaptation priorities are therefore outlined in the 2015 Policy including stated adaptation objectives for nine (9) priority development sectors. The objectives are listed in the table below.
Priority | Sector | Strategic Objective |
|---|---|---|
Adaptation | Agriculture and Fisheries Sector | By 2020, the Palau agriculture and fisheries enabling framework is established to sustainably manage and support local food production and consumption |
| Health | By 2020, the enabling framework is established to increase community resilience through improved access to health service. |
| Biodiversity Conservation & Natural Resources | By 2020, the enabling framework is established to build ecosystem resilience and sustainably manage carbon sinks using holistic and synergistic management approaches. |
| Society and Culture | By 2020, community resilience is strengthened through the establishment of sound institutional arrangements that are based on dynamic traditional systems, improved capacity building, a robust labour force, and effective emergency preparedness. |
| Tourism | By 2020, establish the enabling framework to build climate change / disaster resilience in the tourism industry while reducing the carbon footprint from tourism operations |
| Critical Infrastructure | By 2020, enabling framework established to strengthen resilience on critical infrastructure while reducing the carbon footprint from infrastructure. |
| Utilities | By 2020, establish the enabling framework to build resilience to climate change disasters within Palau’s utilities while reducing the carbon footprint from utilities. |
| Finance, Commerce and Economic Development | To have a responsible, dynamic, transparent, sustainable and profitable climate / disaster resilient low carbon economy. |
| Education | By 2020, Palau’s educational system will include coordinated climate change and disaster risk information in its school curriculum and offer educational outreach to the broader community |
For detailed information on the interventions, actions, time-frame, responsible lead and supporting agencies for each intervention and action, as well as indicative costings and indicators, please download a copy of the Palau Climate Change Policy.
Date updated: March 2016
Mitigation
The Palau National Climate Change Policy (2015) identified climate change mitigation as one of its key priorities to be addressed. The Policy is considered the single integrated Government Policy with priorities and interventions to establish appropriate institutional frameworks and guide and inform actions at all levels (community, state, national, and international). It informs national budgeting and government spending in relation to climate change and in synergy with ongoing economic development and environmental and climate change initiatives.
Palau’s Climate Change Policy and Action Plan form the basis for Palau’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) and Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) that will also inform and facilitate access to international climate change financing under the UNFCCC’s Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund.
National Mitigation Priorities
Palau’s mitigation priorities are therefore outlined in the 2015 Climate change Policy. The strategic objectives for each of the four (4) mitigation strategies are listed in the table below:
Priority | Strategy | Strategic Objective |
|---|---|---|
Mitigation and Low Emissions Development | Improved Institutional Arrangements for Energy Sector Management | An Energy Administration with the authority and support required for effective and transparent implementation of the National Energy Policy and the related Strategic Action Plan |
| Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation | A 30% reduction in energy consumption by 2020, recognizing that improving the efficiency of energy use has greater short term impact on reducing fossil fuel consumption of fossil energy than any other action; with taxes and policies revised to encourage the import and sale of: appliances, vehicles, and boats having the highest energy efficiency; and with development of energy efficiency standards for new buildings and renovations including homes, businesses, and government premises. |
| Renewable Energy | 20% contribution of renewable energy to the energy mix by 2020, eventual long-term substitution of all fossil fuels with renewable energy, and minimizing Palau’s carbon footprint, recognizing that renewable energies have the potential to reduce dependency on imported fuels and reduce the country’s vulnerability towards price shock.
|
| Electric Power | A secure and diverse electrical power supply using technically and economically feasible methods while ensuring sustainability, quality and continuity of existing electrical generation, distribution, and transmission systems. |
For detailed information on the interventions, actions, time-frame, responsible lead and supporting agencies for each intervention and action, as well as indicative costings and indicators, please download a copy of the [Portal team – provide link of the Republic of the Palau National Climate Change Policy].
For information on Palau’s climate change mitigation projects, go to [Projects Database]
Intended Nationally Determined Contributions
Palau is joining the community of nations, both industrialised and developing, in taking action to address the causes and impacts of climate change.
Palau is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, principally from sea level rise and the increase in extreme events (drought, flooding, Category 4 and 5 typhoons). Sea-level rise threatens vital infrastructure, settlements, and facilities that support the livelihood of island communities. Moreover, under most climate change scenarios, water resources in small islands are likely to be seriously compromised. Subsistence and commercial agriculture will be adversely affected by climate change, and ocean warming and acidification will heavily impact coral reefs, fisheries, and other marine-based resources crucial to our livelihoods, economy and culture.
Current Mitigation Policies and Measures
Currently Palau is working to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix and to increase energy efficiency (EE) initiatives. To date, total renewable energy (RE) efforts have only reached 8% of the needed 22%, principally because two grid-connected solar projects (1.5 and 3.5MW respectively) never came to fruition. Palau to date, however has achieved an approximately 30% reduction in energy use due to efficiency measures taken.
Current RE and EE policies and measures include a pilot loan subsidy for solar roof panels which will be increased to cover more homes if successful; a Home EE program at the Palau National Development Bank; prepaid metering at Palau Public Utilities Corporation; distribution of CFL light bulbs; government building retrofits; and a pilot Energy Audit program for large commercial buildings.
Period of Implementation: Start year: 2020, End year: 2025 Type and level of commitment: Absolut energy sector emissions reduction target, with additional reductions coming from the waste and transport sectors. Reference year or period: 2005. Emissions approximated at 88,000 tC02-e Estimated quantified emissions impact: Energy sector emissions reductions at 22% below 2005 levels by 2025, 45% RE target by 2025, 35% EE target by 2025 |
| Coverage | % of national emissions | ~100% |
|---|---|---|
Sectors |
| |
Gases | Carbon dioxide (CO2) Methane (CH4) | |
Geography | Whole country | |
Baseline assumption | Business as usual (BAU) emissions scenario projections are based on economic growth in the absence of new climate change policies and measures in addition to those in place in 2015, and greater coverage and implementation of existing measures. BAU projections include the electricity sector only, which is Palau’s largest emitting sector. BAU assumptions include a GDP per capita growth of 3.72% per year (historical 15 year CAGR) and EIA oil price projection in reference case as the basis for residential, government and commercial sector energy use growth projections. Commercial and energy use growth projection also took into consideration energy use by private generators in the tourism sector. Emission from the waste management and transport sectors are not included in the BAU projection however emission reduction initiatives will be addressed on a project basis. | |
Intention to use market based mechanisms to meet commitments | No | |
Land sector accounting approach | N/A | |
Planning process | Palau’s INDC is grounded in the Palau Climate Change Policy, which was informed by input from communities, civil society and other stakeholders, as well as on the preparatory work for Palau’s second National Communication which was also widely consulted. The Policy establishes Palau’s National Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) as well as the institutional and policy frameworks for : (a) climate change mitigation via management of greenhouse gas emissions including carbon sinks; and (b) climate change adaptation and risk reduction and management. It establishes the policy framework that will guide and inform action in accordance with Palau’s national Master Development Plan – Palau 2020. | |
Fair and ambitious | The Republic of Palau’s total emissions are de minimis in the global context. Given Palau’s remoteness, the small size of the economy, low GDP per capita, dependence on partnership support and vulnerability to climate change, Palau’s proposed targets are ambitious and fair as measured against other nations. Under the BAU scenario emissions would be 140,000 tCo2e in 2025, compared to 68,000 tCo2e if both the RE and EE targets are met. Emissions in 2005 were approximated at 88,000 tCo2e. Full implementation of the RE and EE strategies outlined in the ‘Future Policies and Measures’ section below puts Palau on a trajectory to reducing emissions by half as against BAU in 2025, the equivalent of 22% under 2005 emissions levels. | |
Future Policies and Measures (to achieve INDC targets)
To achieve the RE target Palau will need considerable additional installed capacity, including the 5MW of solar already planned (2 or more solar projects plus additional roof-top solar) plus an additional 10MW to power the water sector. Palau will also hav eto work to reduce transmission and distribution losses. (Solar Capacity Factor is assumed to be 15.3%).
To implement the EE target, Palau will:
- Increase the Energ Retrofit Program;
- Institute a Tropical EE Building Code;
- Adopt the Energy Start Appliance Standard;
- Implement an Energy Labelling Scheme;
- Significantly expand our Cool Roof Program;
- Expand Energy Audit program to include all government and non-government buildings;
- Enhance the Building Managers Working Group; and
- Improve Wastewater Infrastructure
Many of these RE and EE initiatives will depend on the availability of partnership finance and technology support.
For more information, go to Palau’s INDC.
Date updated: March 2016
Knowledge Management & Education
The Palau National Climate Change Policy (2015) identified education as one of the key strategic areas of the adaptation goal. The strategic education objective is: by 2020, Palau’s educational system will include coordinated climate change and disaster risk information in its school curriculum and offer educational outreach to the broader community.
The government outlines five (5) strategic interventions for education that is incorporated into the first five year action plan of the climate change Policy. These interventions are listed in the table below against their end of five year indicators:
| Education Objective: By 2020, Palau’s educational system will include coordinated climate change and disaster risk information in its school curriculum and offer educational outreach to the broader community | ||
|---|---|---|
Intervention | Intervention Indicator | |
Integrate climate change and disaster management into education policies and action plan | Have strategic plan for MOE completed and approved by 2017 | |
Revise the current school curriculum to incorporate climate change and disaster management, develop teachers training modules, source instructional materials, and revise assessment |
| |
Prioritize scholarship and education opportunities in climate change/disaster management |
| |
Implement professional training in climate / disaster related studies including through a Teachers Conference on climate change and disaster |
| |
Improve access to information on climate change and disasters |
| |
The main lead agency for all strategic interventions is the Ministry of Education (MOE) with the exception of Intervention 4 that is led by the National Emergency Council.
Date updated: March 2016
References
The following references have been used to develop the country profile. It is important to note that contributions are from local, regional and international agencies. The profile is reviewed by the national focal point for accuracy. We encourage you to contact the country contacts (focal points) if any documents cannot be accessed through the links.
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO (2014). Climate Variability, Extremes and Change in the Western Tropical Pacific: New Science and Updated Country Reports. Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning Program Technical Report, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia
- Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations, July 2007.
- Pacific Disaster Net
- Forum Secretariat website
- Palau INDC
Date updated: March 2016