BY LORETTA B MANELE

The Solomon Islands Loss and Damage Media Training is not just another workshop but a “call to action”, says David Hiba Hiriasia, permanent secretary for Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology (MECDM).

He made the remark when he spoke on the first day of the three-day training at Rock Haven on Monday.

The training is being facilitated by Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with support of the New Zealand Government through the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity (LDCC) Project.

Addressing representatives of different media organisations in the country, Hiriasia told them that it is a moment for them to recognise the power of storytelling, the influence of communication and the responsibility of the media in shaping how the world understands the lived realities of climate change.

He said for us in Solomon Islands and across the Pacific, climate change is not a theory but a lived reality.

“We see it in stronger cyclones, rising seas, flooding, drought, coral bleaching, and the gradual loss of the natural systems upon which our communities depend,” he said.

Hiriasia said the recent Tropical Cyclone Maila is a stark reminder of this reality and one which brought devastation to Western and Choiseul provinces; two provinces that usually don’t experience cyclones of such intensity.

He said this demonstrates how climate change is altering patterns, expanding risks, and exposing new vulnerabilities.

“And it is your role, as media professionals, to ensure these stories are told, heard, and understood,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said loss and damage is a new and emerging issue in the global climate agenda.

He said it is distinct from mitigation and adaptation, and it has its own separate funding modality.

“This recognition is critical for countries like ours, where the impacts are already severe and where the costs both economic and non-economic continue to grow,” he said.

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BY NED GAGAHE

The Deputy Director of the Climate Change Division at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), Henry Tufah, says there is a growing need for stronger policies and reliable data systems to address climate-related loss and damage in Solomon Islands.

Speaking during a three-day media training on loss and damage, Mr Tufah highlighted several ongoing and upcoming government initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s response to climate impacts.

He said the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), developed and submitted in 2025, already identifies loss and damage as a major challenge facing Solomon Islands.

Tufah said the NDC is supported by a Nationally Determined Contribution Investment Plan, which identifies priority areas the government must focus on in addressing loss and damage.

“We have the National Loss and Damage Dialogue that was held last year, and now we have the media training. The next step is to implement a pilot project on loss and damage,” he said.

He added that work is also progressing on a national loss and damage policy, which will be informed by discussions from recent consultations and training workshops.

“Everything that we discussed last week and also this week will be documented and help inform the loss and damage policy which will be developed later,” Tufah said.

He said an investment roadmap will also be developed to support implementation of the policy.

Tufah further revealed that another major initiative, known as the Satellite Observation for Loss Assessment and Climate Data Evaluation project, is in its final stages before implementation.

According to him, the project will help strengthen climate data collection and provide evidence needed to support claims and responses relating to climate loss and damage.

“We can describe loss and damage and express it in every way we can, but there is only one way we can support it, and that is by showing that loss and damage is real and having data to prove that,” he said.

Tufah said that reliable data will play a key role in helping Solomon Islands address climate-induced loss and damage in the future.

The three-day workshop, held at Rock Haven Inn from May 11 to 13, brought together journalists and media practitioners to strengthen reporting on one of the country’s growing challenges — climate-induced loss and damage.

The training is facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Media Association of Solomon Islands, with funding support from the Government of New Zealand through the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity Project.

The training concludes today with a field visit to Koa Hill and April Valley, where participants will meet communities affected by climate impacts and put their reporting and storytelling skills into practice.

Photo credit: Ned Gagahe

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Five islands already submerged by climate change in the Solomon Islands, more under threat

BY NED GAGAHE

Five small islands in Solomon Islands have already disappeared beneath the sea due to rising sea levels linked to climate change, according to Henry Tufah of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).

Speaking during a three-day media training on loss and damage at Rock Haven Inn, Mr Tufah presented scientific data and satellite imagery showing the steady disappearance of several low-lying islands over recent decades.

He said islands including Kale, Rapita, Rehana, Kakatina and Zollies were completely submerged by 2014.

“These are islands that existed before, but over time the land continued to reduce until they disappeared completely beneath the sea,” Mr Tufah said.

According to data presented during the training, Kale Island measured about 14,890 square metres in 1947 but had completely disappeared by 2014.

Mr Tufah said the findings were based on studies comparing aerial photographs and satellite images taken over many years.

He explained that sea level rise remains one of the biggest slow-onset impacts of climate change affecting Solomon Islands.

“Slow-onset events happen gradually over time, like sea level rise, coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion,” he said.

Mr Tufah also highlighted the case of Walande in South Malaita, where the settlement gradually disappeared due to coastal erosion and rising seas.

He said aerial images showed that around 85 buildings existed on the island settlement during the 1940s, but by 2024 no part of the island remained above sea level during high tide.

Tufah said communities were eventually forced to relocate inland, losing homes, cultural sites, burial grounds and parts of their traditional way of life.

“When you lose your home, you lose your identity, your culture and your connection to the land,” he said.

Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, David Hiba Hiriasia, said climate-related loss and damage is becoming a major national challenge for Solomon Islands.

He said the draft Solomon Islands Climate Loss and Damage Evidence Base Report 2026 estimates that the country loses around USD79 million annually due to climate-related loss and damage, equivalent to 8.69 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product each year.

“This is not just an environmental concern; it is a national development challenge, a growing economic burden, and a human crisis,” Mr Hiriasia said.

“We saw this clearly in the 2014 Honiara floods. The Post-Disaster Needs Assessment conducted by the World Bank documented that in just a matter of days, the event caused USD107.8 million in damages, equivalent to 9.2 percent of GDP.

“Twenty-two lives were lost, more than 50,000 people were affected, and beyond the economic losses, some impacts cannot be measured in dollars,” he added.

Tufah warned that many coastal and low-lying communities across the country remain vulnerable as sea levels continue to rise.

He said scientific projections show temperatures and sea levels will continue increasing under all greenhouse gas emission scenarios.

The training brought together journalists and media practitioners to strengthen reporting on climate-induced loss and damage in Solomon Islands.

The workshop was facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Media Association of Solomon Islands through the Loss and Damage Capability and Capacity Project funded by the Government of New Zealand.

Photo credit: SPREP

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BY ALICE T CAMPBELL

The Labour Mobility Unit (LMU) has announced that Kilcoy Global Foods, one of the world’s leading food solutions producers, has carried out its first direct recruitment drive in the Solomon Islands.

The company, established in 1953 as a family-owned meat wholesaler, now operates in Australia, North America, and China, and is recognised internationally for quality and innovation, a statement from the LMU yesterday said.

Kilcoy first recruited Solomon Islanders in 2020 through a labour hire company, but as an Approved Employer under the PALM scheme, it now conducts its own in-country recruitments.

This marks the first time the company has directly recruited workers from the Solomons, LMU said.

Representatives Leah Swane and Young Kang said they were impressed with the interviews and indicated plans to increase recruitment numbers in future.

More than 100 candidates were interviewed last week from the work-ready pool, with around 50 workers to be selected for employment in Australia, the statement said.

Successful candidates will work at Kilcoy’s meat processing plant located at 4830 D’Aguilar Highway, Winya, Queensland—about an hour’s drive from Brisbane.

The Labour Mobility Unit (LMU) welcomed Kilcoy’s first in-country recruitment and expressed hope for continued collaboration with the Solomon Islands in the future.

Photo credit: LMU

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