Tiempo Climate Newswatch

Climate change "poses an immediate and grave threat, driving ill health and increasing the risk of conflict, such that each feeds on the other," according to an editorial in the British Medical Journal. The editorial was authored by medical and military experts: Lionel Jarvis, a surgeon rear admiral with the Ministry of Defence in London, Hugh Montgomery from the University College London Institute for Public Health and Performance, Neil Morisetti, a rear admiral with the Ministry of Defence, and Ian Gilmore from the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

The authors cite reports by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Lancet and the Pentagon's 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review to Congress to support their view that climate-induced health crises will exacerbate instability and insecurity. Noting that it might be considered unusual for the medical and military professions to concur, they conclude that "we can no longer delay implementing tough action that will make a difference, while quibbling over minor uncertainties in climate modelling. Unlike most recent natural disasters, this one is entirely predictable."

Russia has re-affirmed its support for the BASIC countries' position on climate change and sustainable development. Leaders at the recent Sanya summit of the BRICS nations called on the developed countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions and advanced ideas to reduce carbon intensity in the developing nations.

The BRICS nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - will meet in Durban, South Africa, before the next climate treaty negotiating session, which will be held in June. "The bloc has already formed a coordination mechanism to meet prior to important global negotiations and conferences on climate change," said a Chinese diplomat.

A pan Pacific network of voyaging societies, the Pacific Voyagers, is sailing a fleet of traditional vessels (waka or vaka) to Hawaii to develop awareness of and the need to preserve the ocean environment and marine life by recapturing the traditions of voyaging between island nations. Nations represented include Aotearoa (New Zealand), Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu and Samoa.

The boats, which blend modern boat-building technologies with traditional Pacific craftsmanship, are propelled only by the wind and the sun. A solar power system provides an auxiliary propulsion system, with eight solar panels powering two 10kW electrical motors. From Hawaii, the fleet will sail to North America then return to the Solomon Islands in 2012. The aim of the later stage of the voyage is to inform and educate as many people as possible, particularly those contributing most to the climate threat, to make a change. The project is supported by the German foundation Okeanos.