Climate Change Brings Challenges for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—Read the 2021 Assessment

Stronger typhoons, threats to coral reefs, and human health risks are among the major challenges detailed in a new report on climate change in the CNMI. Threatened resources include high-value coastal infrastructure and the millions of dollars that ocean ecosystems add to the CNMI economy annually, according to the 2021 report by the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA).

Climate Change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is one in a series of new PIRCA reports. Authors from the CNMI Office of Planning and Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management, and the East-West Center—along with 50 technical contributors from local governments, NGOs, researchers, and community groups—collaboratively developed the CNMI PIRCA report.

“Since 2019, many of our government agencies under the Planning and Development Advisory Council have supported data collection and analysis efforts led by the East-West Center and other federal and local stakeholders to assess how climate change is impacting the Marianas,” said Governor Ralph DLG Torres. “This resulting report provides updated data on impacts to support climate-wise planning and development. The CNMI relies on a clean and healthy environment for our livelihoods and way of life, and I commend the collaborative efforts of our agencies to help us support sustainable development goals and enable us to adapt to our changing climate to protect our infrastructure, communities, and ecosystems. I thank the Office of Planning and Development for comprehensively mainstreaming considerations of smarter, safer growth through this important work. Together, with data-driven policy guidance, we will plan and achieve resilient growth that properly balances economic development and environmental protection.”

Key Messages
Climate Change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands lays out the changes the CNMI is already experiencing, as well as what lies ahead. The key messages for decision-makers include:

• Temperatures have risen, and hotter days and nights affect human health. Heat waves can exacerbate a range of pre-existing health issues, and hot weather poses a particular threat to children and elderly people.
• Stronger tropical storms and typhoons are expected globally and around the Mariana Islands. More intense tropical cyclones mean a greater potential for loss of life, damage, and public health issues from these storms.
• Sea level rise threatens infrastructure, including housing, businesses, and transportation, as well as ecosystems and cultural sites. More frequent and intense coastal flooding and erosion are anticipated as sea level rise accelerates.
• Oceans are warming, causing coral bleaching that is already widespread and severe. Extensive coral loss is possible within the next few decades if current trends in rising ocean temperatures continue. Coral reefs inject tens of millions of dollars annually into the local economy.

“Climate change is adding new layers of complexity to the economic and environmental challenges we routinely face in the CNMI,” said Robbie Greene, Coral and Coastal Management Liaison with Lynker Tech at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. “Resources such as this report provide clear and concise messaging about the impacts of climate change, and the considerations that CNMI decision makers and resource managers will need to account for to adapt in the coming years. Whether we’re talking about something as broad as economic recovery, or simply putting food on the table, a shifting climate warrants a road map for the Commonwealth’s future, and this report is a great start.”

About Climate Change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

The collective efforts of the technical contributors, coordinating authors, and PIRCA Advisory Committee made the CNMI PIRCA report possible. The report builds upon the US Fourth National Climate Assessment, offering a closer look at climate change impacts in the CNMI and providing information for a wide range of sectors.   

The PIRCA is funded and supported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s RISA Program (through the Pacific RISA), the East-West Center’s Research Program, the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, and the US Global Change Research Program.

• Download and explore the CNMI PIRCA

Featured image/cover photo by Erin Derrington, CNMI Office of Planning and Development