Abstract

What are the existing climate-related activities, priorities and institutional frameworks for implementing climate change adaptations within each jurisdiction? At the request of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), the PICCC was asked to provide technical assistance to CNMI, Guam, American Sāmoa, RMI, FSM, and Palau in understanding and planning for localized impacts of global climate change. OIA requested that the PICCC engage key cross-sector decision makers and stakeholders within CNMI, Guam, American Sāmoa with the objectives to identify and articulate near-term priorities for funding as well as a process for developing long-term climate change adaptation plans. OIA also requested an analysis for all six jurisdictions of their existing climate adaptation policies, laws, and major activities. The desired outcomes of this technical assistance project were to increase each jurisdiction’s capacity to

1. Understand the complexities of climate change adaptation planning, vulnerability assessments, and climate adaptation plan implementation
2. Be better prepared to complete a climate change adaptation plan application for funding purposes
3. Be able to prioritize existing climate change initiatives and plan development activities for funding purposes.

It was envisioned that the project’s final outputs would aid each jurisdiction additionally in identifying critical gaps to be filled by further technical assistance and funding requests to governmental and non-governmental organizations.