The Local2030 Islands Network hosted its inaugural in-person convening of the Data for Climate Resilience Community of Practice and Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism Community of Practice, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on April 22-25 2024 in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. The convening brought together over 160 participants from 42 island economies across the Pacific, Caribbean, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, and featured over 70 diverse speakers.

This Communities of Practice gathering marked the second annual convening of technical experts, practitioners, and government leaders from national and subnational islands across the globe. The meeting provided space for island leaders, practitioners, and technical experts to share best practices and lessons learned, receive technical training, collaborate, and exchange knowledge and unique island experiences in a collaborative, peer-to-peer forum. Participants also engaged with the thematic focus areas with place-based learning featuring some of Hawai‘i’s exemplary leaders in sustainability. 

Climate Action Pathway Session: Palau Climate Services and Coordination Workshop

On Day 2 of the convening, Project Specialists Paula Moehlenkamp and Chelsey Bryson led a session with NOAA Climate Services Director Dr. John Marra and Data & Reporting Officer for the Palau Office of Climate Change, Mikayla Etpison, on the Climate Action Pathway – a framework developed to connect in-country high level adaptation goals to actionable data and indicators. The session provided the outcomes of the Climate Services and Coordination workshop recently held in Palau, and explored how to engage the right stakeholders for the successful implementation of climate services to support decision-making in participants’ home islands.  

Dr. Marra kicked off the session with an overview of the Climate Action Pathway and the overarching goals and objectives of the Palau Climate Services workshop – an effort led by NOAA, UH, Pacific RISA, the Palau Weather Service Office, Palau Ministry of Finance, and Palau Office of Climate Change. Mikayla then provided an overview of Palau’s climate priorities, including updating the Palau Climate Change Policy, to illustrate how different project streams are aligning to the established national goals.

Following the structure of the Palau workshop and using its outcomes as examples, Paula then guided participants through different categories of climate indicators and connected them to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Lastly, Chelsey talked through the Climate Services Dialog process, using the development of sector-based Climate Early Warning Systems (CLEWS) as an example. The dialog process is described in the 2021 Pacific Islands Climate Storybook and focuses on the two-way exchange of information between technical patterns and users.

After a presentation providing a contextual background of the Palau workshop, participants were asked to split into four groups to share reflections on a deeper level. In these breakout groups participants had  vital discussions around identifying most important stakeholders in their home islands to engage in the climate action framework. Further, they discussed best practices and strategies to get the community engaged and to break down silos. The global representation of participants from over 42 island economies, including technical stakeholders from various governmental and community entities, fostered a vital exchange of insights and perspectives cutting across cultures and disciplines. Offering a structured approach to bridging high level climate adaptation goals with tangible on-the-ground impacts and data, this session complemented the broader themes of the Data for Climate Resilience CoP, while also fostering peer-to-peer dialogue on breaking down silos, engaging stakeholders, and ensuring conscientious data collection practices.