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Climate Risk Country Profile - Samoa

Pays
Samoa
Sources
World Bank
Date de publication
Origine
Voir l'original

KEY MESSAGES

• Samoa has experienced warming trends of approximately 0.6°C between 1980 and 2018.

• Future trends in warming are obscured by the inability of climate models to accurately simulate trends at sufficiently small spatial scales. Warming is likely to take place at a rate slightly lower than the global average. On the highest emissions pathway, RCP8.5, warming in Samoa is projected to reach 2.7°C by the end of the century.

• Samoa faces a diverse set of risks from climate change, but data and reliable model projections are lacking, presenting challenges for decision makers.

• Potential threats to human well-being and natural ecosystems include increased prevalence of natural hazards such as extreme heat, intensified cyclones and extreme rainfall.

• In particular, subsidence driven by tectonic activity is accelerating the relative rate of sea-level rise, this is increasing the risks associated with saline intrusion, wave-driven flooding, and coastal erosion.

• Biodiversity and the natural environment of Samoa face extreme pressure, and loss of some species of fish, coral, bird, and terrestrial species is likely without very effective conservation measures.

• Samoa’s population already lives in a volatile environment, to which it has adapted, but climate change is likely to increase its variability, pose new threats, and place stress on livelihoods.

• Communities are likely to need support to adapt and manage disaster risks facing their wellbeing, livelihoods, and infrastructure. Geographic isolation and economic vulnerabilities will increase the challenges faced by communities and decision makers.