During an information session with the SIDS Group, Wendy Watson-Wright provided an overview of IOC activities in SIDS and discussed sea-level rise, coastal erosion, extreme weather events, and coral bleaching and ocean acidification.
16 December 2010: During an information session with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Group held at UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, on 16 December 2010, Wendy Watson-Wright, Executive Secretary of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), provided an overview of IOC activities in SIDS.
She highlighted UNESCO IOC’s four objectives, which relate to: natural marine hazards; climate change and variability; health of ocean ecosystems; and sustainability of ocean and coastal resources. After listing the key issues faced by SIDS, namely sea-level rise, coastal erosion, tsunamis, hurricanes, and coral bleaching and ocean acidification, Watson-Wright described the recent IOC decisions on SIDS. She then highlighted IOC’s activities related to: tsunami warning systems; coastal mapping for extreme events in the Indian Ocean; sea level observation; and adaptation to climate change in coastal zones. [The Presentation]