Sub-Regional Training Workshop on Climate Change Statistics and Indicators

In the Pacific region, climate change is one of the most pressing policy issues given its wideranging impacts on well-being. At the Fifty-first Pacific Islands Forum in 2022, Pacific Island leaders emphasized climate change as an existential threat to the wellbeing, livelihoods, and security of the Pacific, resonating with the Boe Declaration (2018) and the Kainaki II Declaration (2019). Consequently, they declared a climate emergency. The region is already experiencing intensifying threats like rising sea levels, increasing ocean acidification, and escalating extreme weather events, profoundly impacting the region's economy, society, and environment. The urgency for scaled-up and cross-sectoral climate action is evident. To effectively address climate change, the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) need to implement the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific and swiftly act on their national climate agendas in collaboration with regional entities such as agencies of the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific, including the Pacific Community (SPC), and the international development community. Reliable and actionable statistics and indicators on climate change impacts are vital to enable evidence-based policy, decision-making, planning and investment. Importantly, these statistics and indicators must be able to speak to the economic, social and environmental impacts of climate change.