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The Pacific's environmental agency chief says he has received heartening support for his call to stop fishing fleets dumping waste. SPREP director-general Kosi Latu was speaking during the Fiji hosted UN Oceans Conference in New York. Mr Latu caught up with Dominic Godfrey about his presentation on marine pollution and the 10-thousand recorded cases of waste dumping in the Pacific by purse-seine fishing vessels over a 12-year period.

A spokesperson from the Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme says the Paris Agreement represents a great first step in the global commitment to addressing climate change. However, SPREP's Dr Tommy Moore says there is still a lot more that needs to be done to achieve that goal. Last year's Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation came into effect on Friday 4 November. It aims to arrest the global economy's addiction to fossil fuels and limit a rise in average world temperatures to "well below" 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial times. Dr Moore spoke with Dominic Godfrey about how Pacific countries can continue to lobby for change using their united voice.

Nauru is taking action to improve the safety of asbestos removal work around the island, and now has 12 fully-trained officials to keep an eye on safety standards. The government has been removing asbestos from households since late last year, but there has been concern that workers were not being protected from dangerous asbestos fibres, and that the discarded material was not being disposed of properly. The safety training was delivered by SPREP's PacWaste project, and manager Stewart Williams says the Nauru government deserves credit for its efforts.

Species of sharks and sting rays are to be protected after nations at the CITES forum in South Africa voted overwhelmingly in favour of listing. Silky sharks, all three species of thresher sharks and all nine species of mobula rays or devil rays are to be listed. Mike Donoghue, Threatened and Migratory Species Adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), says the listing is significant as it means these endangered species will no longer be under the control fishing interests.

Meteorologists from around the Pacific region have gathered to consider ways to improve their forecasting, particularly at times when communities need rapid and accurate information ahead of major weather events. The Pacific Island Meteorological Strategy workshop was held at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The Strategy is aiming to improve what are called end-to-end Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems. Salesa Nihmei, SPREP Meteorology and Climate Officer says trying to get the information to the people in a timely manner is an ongoing issue.

New asbestos discovered after a hospital fire in Solomon Islands has sparked a call for a Pacific-wide ban on the toxic substance. The call from the regional environmental body SPREP comes because the Gizo hospital in the Western Solomons had been cleared of old asbestos in a regional study conducted prior to the fire. Local inspectors however identified asbestos materials at the site in the aftermath of the fire on the 22nd of July. This was confirmed by experts from the Pacific Hazardous Waste Management Project (PacWaste) who helped to clear the site. The team identified new building materials used in recent renovations at the hospital as the most likely source of the contamination. PacWaste project manager Stewart Williams told Koroi Hawkins the cost of cleaning up old asbestos in the region is already daunting without more being imported.

Until the old Gizo hospital in Solomon Islands caught fire in July, no-one knew that the building contained asbestos. A hazardous waste watchdog in the Pacific is warning that moves to rid the region of asbestos must be a priority. SPREP's PacWaste project is aiming for an asbestos-free Pacific by conducting an inventory of existing asbestos from so called legacy products that were used in cladding in the 1970s - 90s Stewart Williams, the PacWaste project manager, says it's evident the substance is turning up in new building materials and efforts to rid the region of asbestos are continually set back.

Pacific island calls for stronger environmental systems have been heeded, with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, SPREP, launching new guidelines for environmental impact assessment at its annual meeting last week. SPREP's Environmental Planning Officer Melanie Bradley says the new guidelines are needed to reflect growth in tourism and transport sectors and the emergence of resource ventures like deep-sea mining.

Science of Pacific Island peoples : Fauna, Flora, Food & Medicine. Vol.3. Edited by John Morrison, Paul Geraghty, Linda Crowl.