Climate Change in Guam: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors

Climate Change in Guam: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is a report developed by the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA). It is one in a series of reports aimed at assessing the state of knowledge about climate change indicators, impacts, and adaptive capacity of the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands and the Hawaiian archipelago. PIRCA is a collaborative effort engaging federal, state, and local government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academia, businesses, and community groups to inform and prioritize their activities in the face of a changing climate. 

Key climate change issues affecting Guam include threats to human health, risks to freshwater resources, increasing wildfire, and the potential for damage to infrastructure caused by future sea level rise and stronger typhoons. Climate change is expected to disrupt many aspects of life in Guam. Those who are already vulnerable are harmed more than others by extreme weather and climate shifts. Climate Change in Guam: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors provides guidance for decision-makers seeking to better understand how climate variability and change impact Guam and its communities. This assessment also identifies needs for additional information and research, which if met could support responses that enhance resilience and help Guam to withstand the changes to come.

The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) program has primary oversight of the 2020 PIRCA. The Pacific RISA is funded by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and supported through the East-West Center. Key partners and supporters are NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the Department of the Interior’s Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC), and the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).

This series represents the latest assessment in a sustained process of information exchange among scientists, businesses, governments, and communities in the Pacific Islands region that began with the 2012 PIRCA (which produced Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts, Island Press). We anticipate that in conjunction with other collaborative regional assessment efforts, the PIRCA reports will provide guidance for decision-makers seeking to better understand how climate variability and change impact the Pacific Islands region and its peoples.