A total of 50 million Australian dollars (42 million U.S. dollars) is being allocated to assist Pacific Island countries to combat climate change, the Australian government announced on August 6.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith and Minister for Climate Change and Water Penny Wong made the announcement on the second day of ongoing 40th Pacific Islands Forum, which opened in the northeast Australia's shore city of Cairns and attracted 15 heads of governments and more than 450 delegates.
Of the 50-million-dollar initiative, 25 million dollars will be allocated to help implement high priority, practical adaptation programs in Pacific island nations on food security, water supply, increase resilience of coastal areas and supporting disaster preparedness.
A further 12 million dollars will be provided for the Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program to strengthen the capacity of Pacific Island nations to assess their vulnerabilities to climate change and help them to build the skills and knowledge they need for long-term decision making on the issue.
