State of the Environment

Caritas’ fourth State of the Environment for Oceania report, Turning the Tide, was released on 4 October, 2017, St Francis Day, at Te Ngākau Tapu Parish in Porirua, Aotearoa New Zealand.

A key message in this report is that we need work together to take better care of our common ocean and coastal environments. The Pacific Ocean contains nearly 50 percent of the earth’s total supply of water and covers 33 percent of the world’s surface, yet it continues to be abused.
 
Rising sea levels, food and water security, mining of the sea floor, extreme weather and climate finance are all examined through stories and data gathered through Caritas’ community-based research. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand publishes this year’s report in collaboration with Caritas Tonga, Caritas Samoa, Caritas Papua New Guinea and Caritas Australia.

In 2014 we produced our foundational report on the environment in Oceania. Each year since 2015 we have produced a State of the Environment for Oceania report based on discussions with our partners in the region. The report is launched each year on St Francis Day, 4 October.