Starkist tuna from American Samoa … A drop in tuna prices in 2015 has been blamed by fishing trade journals as a reason that US fishermen are struggling in the Pacific Ocean. Image: Danny Johnston/LAT

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch in Suva

The decision by the United States to withdraw from the 30-year Tuna Treaty with Pacific Island countries will not take effect until January 2017, says Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) deputy director general Wez Norris.

In his initial response to Pacnews queries, Norris admitted that the impact of the US withdrawal “will be markedly different among individual Pacific Island Parties (PIPs)”.

“Some of them have viable alternative markets that could absorb their fishing days with relatively little impact. Others, however that are reliant on the Treaty to sell their days would struggle to achieve revenues similar to those currently enjoyed, said Norris. Read more »

The more ambitious target of 1.5C will be beyond our reach within a decade or two at current rates of fossil fuel use around the world. Image: Pulse

Pacific Scoop:
Analysis – By Pep Canadell and Rob Jackson

The Paris climate agreement is an extraordinary achievement. It codifies the long-term goal of keeping global temperature increases below 2°C. It also sets a more ambitious aspirational target of capping global warming at 1.5°C degrees.

But this more ambitious target will be beyond our reach within a decade or two at current rates of fossil fuel use around the world.

Beyond how achievable the goals are, and at what cost they can be achieved, they are aggressive and consistent with minimising the dangerous interference of human activities on the climate system. Read more »

Draft Paris Agreement on the table … relief for the moment for Pacific. Image: Politico

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Makereta Komai, editor of PACNEWS, in Paris

After a week of negotiations, negotiators from 195 countries have produced a Draft Paris Outcome that is likely to become the new global climate agreement on 11 December.

To the relief of Pacific, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and G77 and China, the proposal by the United States and other developed countries to remove loss and damage from the Paris Agreement is now gone, replaced with a proposal (Option 1) to include it  as a stand-alone Article 5.

The second option wants to push Loss & Damage back to Article 4, alongside the Adaptation provision. Read more »

Professor Tania Ka’ai speaking at the launch of the Cook Islands language app. Image: International Centre of Language Revitalisation

In spite of an increase in interest in Pacific languages from second and third generation Pacific Islanders in New Zealand, critics say the government “doesn’t value Pasifika languages and cultures”. Asia-Pacific Journalism reports in the wake of Pasifika Education Centre funding cuts.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Mata Lauano

Language retention among second and third generation Pacific people is on the rise, but recent funding cuts to a major education provider is jeopardising this.

ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNALISM

Labour MP Su’a William Sio says funding cuts to the Pasifika Education Centre could mean the demise of a charitable trust that exists to preserve, maintain and promote the use of Pacific languages.

This doesn’t bode well for the retention of Pacific languages in New Zealand, says Su’a. Read more »

The six artists chosen for Creative New Zealand’s heritage art exchange between the Cook Islands and Aotearoa. Image: Creative NZ

Sharing knowledge and skills of traditional art forms – ranging from tattooing to drumming – provide insights into a distinct culture, reports Asia-Pacific Journalism.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Georgina Harris

The Auckland War Memorial Museum recently hosted six Cook Islands artists as part of Creative New Zealand’s Pacific Heritage Artists Project.

ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNALISM

A day of demonstrations, talks and workshops on September 12 allowed the specialist artists to share knowledge and skills of their heritage art forms – ranging from tattooing to drumming – that are distinct to the Cook Islands culture.

The project is a Creative New Zealand annual exchange intended to support Pacific art links with New Zealand. Read more »

Niklas Pedersen reporting from Fiji … Pacific leader calls for stronger action on climate change in Suva spilled over into Port Moresby at the Pacific Islands Forum this week. Video: PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Koro Vaka’uta and the PNG media

The Pacific Forum leaders summit has concluded without unity on climate change. While leaders have talked of solidarity, cracks have appeared over the subject of climate change.

Representatives from the 16 forum member countries gathered in Port Moresby over the week to address issues concerning the region, but there are a several conflicting positions, particularly when it comes to Australia and New Zealand.

Small island states have called for a global moratorium on new coal mines, which may struggle to get the backing of the wider forum, and enough of a reduction in emissions so that global temperature increases do not exceed 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. Read more »

Pacific smaller island states representatives in Port Moresby. Image: PNG Loop

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By PNG Loop in Port Moresby

Leaders of the Pacific Smaller Island States have called on all nations  – especially  the advanced economies in the region – to rise to the challenge of climate change.

They want to steer the world on a path where climate change is no longer a threat to earth.

As a first step, they called for a global moratorium on all new coal mines. Read more »

In the Pacific region, the most widespread source of persistent organic pollutants comes through the open burning of waste – either at unregulated dumpsites or around the home. Image: SPREP

Getting rid of waste is something that we would all rather not think about. But in Niue, different Pacific organisations are coming together to create a pilot project to create awareness in villages around safe waste management, reports Asia-Pacific Journalism.

Pacific Scoop:

Report – By Susan Epskamp

Compost. It may be simple, but it has proved to be an effective way of managing organic waste.

ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNALISM

This project will use this method involving half of Niue’s population with the help of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community (POETCom).

Lusianna Ralogaivau, SPREP’s Global Environment Facility Project Coordinator, says the Niue project is a pilot to demonstrate composting to reduce unintentional persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins and furans. Read more »

Pacific Media Watch’s Alistar Kata reports on community news and the UN sustainable development goals. PMC video

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alistar Kata

Beyond2015, a global campaign focused on working with civil society groups to develop their regions, is planned to end poverty, inequality and climate change in the Pacific.

But the challenge is how to engage Pacific communities with these messages in a way they can understand.

Last weekend Pacific media were invited to a workshop in Auckland to come up with ways to get the message through. Read more »

WE REMEMBER – Māori TV broadcast

Pacific Media Watch:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

Sometimes Mele Nemaia looks at the photo of her grandfather and imagines what her great grandfather, who died in World War I, would have looked like.

Private Hatu Taumataua left Niue in 1915 with 150 other young Niueans, and never returned home after fighting in the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion.

Instead, the 21-year-old was buried in Auckland shortly after returning from the battlefields of Egypt and France, where he had become gravely ill. Read more »