Climate Change and the Pacific Islands

Abstract

Climate change has been recognized as one of the most critical and controversial issues facing the world in the twenty-first century. It is predicted to lead to adverse and irreversible impacts on the earth and ecosystems as a whole. This chapter discusses the causes of climate change and current and potential impacts that will affect the people now and in the coming decades while providing a comprehensive account of how Pacific Island nations face challenges from climate change-related impacts. Global warming, sea-level rise, changing weather patterns and extreme events, pressure on water and food security, human health risks, and impacts on wildlife and ecosystems are considered as major impacts of climate change. Pacific Island countries register the greatest negative impacts of climate change even though they account for only 0.03% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Current and projected climate change poses a set of fundamental challenges to the local economy and livelihoods, resulting in human mobility and cross-border displacement and migration. The dispersed nature and heterogeneity of the Pacific Island countries presents special challenges for localized climate projections and adaptation strategies. Effective adaptation measures and policies to climate change impacts in the Pacific Islands should acknowledge their unique environmental and cultural characteristics.