Geographical Background
Climate Overview
National Priorities
Solomon Islands comprises a scattered archipelago of 994 islands combining mountainous islands as well as low lying coral atolls. There are six main islands; Choiseul, New Georgia, Santa Isabel, Malaita, Guadalcanal and Makira, which are characterized by a rugged and mountainous landscape of volcanic origin. The country is situated within the earthquake belt or “Ring of Fire‟ which makes it extremely vulnerable to the effects and impacts of earthquakes. Solomon Islands has 28,400 square kilometers of land.
Solomon Island’s annual and half-year minimum temperatures have been increasing at Honiara since 1953 and Munda (on the island of New Georgia in the Western Province) since 1962. Minimum temperature trends are generally stronger than maximum temperature trends. There have been significant increases in Warm Nights and decreases in Cool Nights at Honiara and Munda. Cool Days have decreased at Munda. These temperature trends are consistent with global warming.
The Solomon Islands Climate Change Policy is the most up to date national source of document that outlines the priorities of Solomon Islands to respond to threats of climate change at a national scale.
The ten (10) national climate change priorities to respond to climate change include:
- Enabling Environment and Institutional Arrangements
- Mainstreaming of Climate Change
- Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
- Mitigation
- Research and Systematic Observation
- Technology Transfer
- Education, Awareness and Capacity Building
- Finance and Resource Mobilization
- Partnership and Cooperation
- Monitoring and Evaluation