Assessments and Background Documents

The creation of a National Communication offers countries the opportunity to contribute with technically sound studies and information that can be used for designing mitigation and adaptation measures, and project proposals that can and will help increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change.

The loss of human, natural, financial, social and physical capital, caused by the adverse impacts of climate change, especially floods, drought and landslides, among many other natural disasters and calamities, is of great concern to the Malawi Government, as it strives to ensure sustainable livelihoods for all its citizens. The threat posed by extreme climatic events to food, health, water and energy has been the driving force for the preparation of Malawi’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).

Kiribati is one of the most vulnerable countries to the adverse impacts of climate change. The atolls of Kiribati rise 3-4 metres above mean sea level and are an average of a few hundred metres wide. These atolls are the home of nearly 90,000 Kiribati people with their distinct culture. Inundation and erosion destroy key areas of land, and storm surges contaminate the fresh groundwater lens which is vital for survival. An economic evaluation of the costs of climate change related risks has been estimated to be 35% of Kiribati GDP.