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Humanity has altered the planet in many detrimental ways, from the warming of our climate to the ever-diminishing wildernesses on land and in the sea. But in such a complex system as the Earth, science must always keep searching – for both solutions to problems already identified and new threats coming our way. UNEP’s Frontiers Report does this by identifying and exploring areas of emerging or ongoing environmental concern. The 2022 edition delves into three issues: noise pollution in cities, the growing threat of wildfires and shifts in seasonal events – such as flowering, migration and hibernation, an area of study known as phenology.

Humanity is waging war on nature. This is senseless and suicidal. The consequences of our recklessness are already apparent in human suffering, towering economic losses and the accelerating erosion of life on Earth. This report represents a scientific blueprint for howclimate change, biodiversity loss and pollution can be tackled jointly within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is a synthesis based on evidence from global environmental assessments.

In May 2015, 74 line transects in three different habitat types (plantation, mixed crops, urban) were surveyed on Upolu and Savai’i islands, Samoa, with an aim of estimating the population size, density and distribution of two invasive bird species, Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) and Jungle Myna (Acridotheres fuscus). Based on the available literature, the surveyed habitats were identified as preferred foraging habitat for the two myna species. The three habitats make up 24.9% of Samoa’s land area. Survey data were analysed using the Distance program. It was estimated that the population of myna birds occurring in the plantation, mixed crops and urban habitats of Samoa is approximately 158,995 (+- 29,588). Approximately 130,030 (+- 19,837) myna were estimated to live on Upolu and 28,968 (+- 9,751) on Savai’i, across the three habitat types. Survey results also revealed that both species show a significant preference for urban habitat. Jungle Myna were estimated to be the most numerous (population estimate: 133,925 +-24,321), occurring on both islands and in all surveyed habitat types. Jungle Myna seem to have saturated the urban habitat available in Upolu and therefore have proceeded to colonise plantations and mixed crops adjacent to urban areas. Common Myna (population estimate: 23,367 +- 7,612), having reached the shores of Samoa ca. 20 years later than Jungle Myna, show highest density in urban environments. They are concentrated in the north-west section of Upolu, with only a few individuals observed on the east coast of Savai’i.

The inextricable links between climate change and sustainable development have been increasingly recognised over the past decade. In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1 concluded with very high confidence that climate change would impede the ability of many nations to achieve sustainable development by mid-century and become a security risk that would steadily intensify, particularly under greater warming scenarios. Article 4.8 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) lists several groups of countries that merit particular consideration for assistance to adapt to climate change “especially: (a) small island countries, (b) countries with low-lying coastal areas, c) countries with areas prone to natural disasters.” Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have characteristics which make them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sea level rise (SLR) and extreme events, including: relative isolation, small land masses, concentrations of population and infrastructure in coastal areas, limited economic base and dependency on natural resources, combined with limited financial, technical and institutional capacity for adaptation.2

The nations of CARICOM16 in the Caribbean together with Pacific island countries contribute less than 1% to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (approx. 0.33%17 and 0.03%18 respectively), yet these countries are expected to be among the earliest and most impacted by climate change in the coming decades and are least able to adapt to climate change impacts. These nations’ relative isolation, small land masses, their concentrations of population and infrastructure in coastal areas, limited economic base and dependency on natural resources, combined with limited financial, technical and institutional capacity all exacerbates their vulnerability to extreme events and climate change impacts. Stabilising global GHG emissions and obtaining greater support for adaptation strategies are fundamental priorities for the Caribbean Basin and Pacific island countries. CARICOM leaders recently unveiled their collective position that global warming should be held to no more than 1.5°C19 and continue to develop a Climate Change Strategic Plan. The Pacific island countries have expressed their priorities for addressing climate change regionally through the Pacific Leaders’ Call to Action on Climate Change20 and the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change 2006-2015.21