Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport (MCST) Blog

  Andrew Irvin, Project Officer for Micronesia Centre for Sustainable Transport The International Panel on Climate Change released its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) August 9th, drawing grave conclusions while outlining an increasingly limited set of trajectories to avoid scenarios resulting in catastrophic temperature increases. Rapid decarbonisation is now required even to slow the effects of what is now recognized as inevitable change , including sea level rise which will continue for decades (or perhaps centuries) after net zero GHG emission levels are reached. As a nation dependent upon its maritime industry and shipping services, Fiji has the opportunity to join its island neighbours in leading the global call for shipping decarbonisation in excess of the current, insufficient global targets. Shipping sector In light of the IPCC AR6, and in recognition of the fact that if the shipping sector were nation, it’d be the sixth largest emitter in the world , the Marshall Islands & S

  Maria Sahib is a consultant with the Micronesia Centre for Sustainable Sea Transport In my last article many moons ago in the Fiji Sun dailies, I talked about the importance of addressing carbon emissions from fishing vessels at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). I also raised pertinent questions about which UN body would take responsibility for decarbonising the fishing industry. In this article, however, the supply chain issues of fish products will be discussed and the significance of transportation in the supply chain. According to UNCTAD [1]  (2016), trade in marine products and services can create opportunities for economic growth, export diversification, and new investments including sustainable fishing and aquaculture, sustainable and resilient marine transport and logistic services, and in links with maritime and coastal tourism. Global trade is only possible through the transport sector and is largely dependent on the shipping industry.    By definition, raw fis

What will changing population patterns mean for future maritime connectivity costs, already the highest in the world?                             Andrew Irvin, Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport. The Pacific Shipping Cost Paradox Our shipping cost, per tonne/nautical mile, is the highest in the world, and serves as a primary barrier to progress across UN Sustainable Development Goals. Pacific populations are in flux, with accelerating internal migration from outer islands to urban centers. Internationally, shipping is embarking on a decarbonisation agenda. Shipping in the Pacific needs to understand these future changes when planning today. Our transport needs in 2050 will likely be quite different from what they are in 2020. For Pacific Islands, the phenomenon of urban drift is taken to an extreme, unmatched elsewhere around the globe, though the remote nations of the Pacific may not be what comes to mind when the term “urban” is used. With a current population of approx