HONOLULU (September 24, 2010) -- The East-West Center has been awarded funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to serve as the lead institution in the Pacific Regional Integrated Science and Assessment program, which is designed to help island and coastal communities cope with the effects of climate change.

The $3,867,560 NOAA grant will be shared over a five-year period by a variety of partners in the Pacific RISA program (see list below). The program was established in 2003 and is one of 11 regional RISA programs supported by NOAA across the U.S. The region covered by the Pacific program includes Hawai‘i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and American Samoa.

"Island communities will have to deal with some of the most extreme impacts of climate change," said EWC Director of Research Nancy Lewis. "Thanks to NOAA's continued support for the innovative network of Regional Integrated Science Assessments across the U.S., this new grant will enable the East-West Center and our multiple partners to bring together scientists and decision-makers to help Pacific communities understand, plan for, and respond to changing climate."

The Pacific RISA program is a collaboration among the East-West Center, University of Hawai‘i International Pacific Research Institute, University of Hawai‘i Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawai‘i Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawai‘i Center for Island Climate Adaptation and Policy, National Weather Service Pacific ENSO Applications Center, NOAA Integrated Data and Environmental Applications Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative and various community groups and government agencies throughout the region.

The project emphasizes understanding and reducing Pacific Island vulnerability to climate-related extreme events such as drought, floods, and tropical cyclones. It supports an integrated, interdisciplinary combination of:

• historical analyses of both climate consequences and adaptation;
• the development of integrated, interdisciplinary climate vulnerability assessment models;
• the utilization and enhancement of existing model-based decision support tools; and
• Focused, interactive dialogue with decision-makers through existing regional planning contracts, workshops, small-group meetings and other forms of outreach, dialogue and education.

For more information on the Pacific RISA program, visit www.PacificRISA.org or contact Melissa.Finucane@EastWestCenter.org