Project Overview
Pacific Ocean Climate Crisis Assessment (POCCA)
This pioneering study, a partnership between the University of Canterbury and the University of South Pacific and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, aims to provide a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, multi-methodological and integrated assessment of the climate crisis and oceans covering 16 countries in the Pacific region. Countries within scope include: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
It gives voice to Pacific Indigenous knowledge systems and how they can work together in harmony with western scientific approaches. Pacific Indigenous knowledge of climate change is based on centuries of knowledge production, daily experience and observation, continuous adaptation, innovative responses to disasters, development of resilient mechanisms, protection of the environment and the centrality of interconnections between the ocean, sky, land and people.
This interdisciplinary approach will provide needed, integrated data which is often missing from Pacific regional positions on climate change.
This data will strengthen policy framing for Pacific governments as well as be useful for global negotiations to promote the unique Pacific voices and experiences, which is often subdued by the more technologically dominant countries.
The POCCA project is more commonly referred to as Protect our Pacific on all our social media platforms.
