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Climate change will have an Impact on our seasons and environment. Our coo] season may turn out +o be hot instead. Or we may have a very dry period in the rainy season. This affects how our crops, fruits and vegetables grow and mature. Some plants, for example, only produce flowers for fruiting under cool conditions. So if it is hot throughout the year, these plants will not bear flowers and fruit. It is important 40 be aware and prepare for these changes so that we don't go short of food. We hope you will be able to pick up some ideas from this book

This climate change profile for Cook Islands has been prepared as part of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Islands States (GCCA: PSIS) project. The goal of the GCCA: PSIS project is to support the governments of nine small Pacific Island states, namely Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu, in their efforts to tackle the adverse effects of climate change. The purpose of the project is to promote long-term strategies and approaches to adaptation planning, and pave the way for more effective and coordinated aid delivery on climate change, including the delivery of streamlined adaptation finance, at the national and regional level.

Niue is a self-governing nation in free association with New Zealand, located partway between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Niue's economy is heavily dependent on support from New Zealand and aid accounts for 70% of Niue's GDP. Niue has a population of approximately 1625 people, making it the world's least populated state. Niue is vulnerable to climate risks such as Tropical Cyclones (TCs) and droughts; geological risks such as earthquakes and tsunami; and human-caused risks such as disease outbreaks and contamination of the water supply. As the world's largest elevated coral atoll, its rocky and rugged coastline has steep cliffs which offer marginal protection from risks such as tsunami. However as experienced in 2004 with the category 5 Tropical Cyclone Heta, TC-induced waves have the capacity to overtop the steep cliffs and wash boulders inland up to +25 m above sea level. Niue's isolation, small population, reliance on donor aid, limited water resources and marginal agricultural potential also contribute to its overall risk profile.