Sink or swim: Can island states survive the climate crisis?

Low emissions, but precocious exposure

The 38 subordinate states and 22 subordinate members that the UN has designated arsenic Small Island Developing States  or SIDS are caught successful a cruel paradox: they are collectively liable for little than 1 per cent of planetary c emissions, but they are suffering severely from the effects of clime change, to the grade that they could go uninhabitable.

Although they person a tiny landmass, galore of these countries are ample water states, with marine resources and biodiversity that are highly exposed to the warming of the oceans. They are often susceptible to progressively utmost upwind events, specified arsenic the devastating cyclones that person deed the Caribbean successful caller years, and due to the fact that of their constricted resources, they find it hard to allocate funds to sustainable improvement programmes that could assistance them to header better,for example, constructing much robust buildings that could withstand dense storms.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the economical concern of galore land states, which are heavy babelike connected tourism. The worldwide situation has severely curtailed planetary travel, making it overmuch harder for them to repay debts. “Their revenues person virtually evaporated with the extremity of tourism, owed to lockdowns, commercialized impediments, the autumn successful commodity prices, and proviso concatenation disruptions”, warned Munir Akram, the president of the UN Economic and Social Council successful April. He added that their debts are “creating intolerable fiscal problems for their quality to retrieve from the crisis.”

UNDP/Michael Atwood

The aftermath of Hurricane Irma successful Barbuda.

Most probe indicates that low-lying atoll islands, predominantly successful the Pacific Ocean specified arsenic the Marshall Islands and Kiribati, hazard being submerged by the extremity of the century, but determination are indications that immoderate islands volition go uninhabitable agelong earlier that happens: low-lying islands are apt to conflict with coastal erosion, reduced freshwater prime and availability owed to saltwater inundation of freshwater aquifers. This means that tiny islands nations could find themselves successful an astir unimaginable situation, successful which they tally retired of caller h2o agelong earlier they tally retired of land.

Furthermore, galore islands are inactive protected by reefs, which play a cardinal relation successful the fisheries manufacture and balanced diets. These reefs are projected to dice disconnected astir wholly unless we bounds warming beneath 1.5 degrees celsius

Despite the immense driblet successful planetary economical enactment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the magnitude of harmful greenhouse gases released into the ambiance accrued successful 2002, and the past six years, 2015–2020, are apt to beryllium the six warmest connected record.

Climate concern (climate-specific fiscal support) continues to increase, reaching an yearly mean of $48.7 cardinal successful 2017-2018. This represents an summation of 10% implicit the erstwhile 2015–2016 period. While implicit fractional of each climate-specific fiscal enactment successful the play 2017-2018 was targeted to mitigation actions, the stock of adaptation enactment is growing, and is being prioritized by galore countries. 

This is simply a cost-effective approach, due to the fact that if not capable is invested successful adaptation and mitigation measures, much resources volition request to beryllium spent connected enactment and enactment to code nonaccomplishment and damage.

UNDP Maldives

Water shortages exacerbated by clime alteration are affecting the Maldives' low-lying islands.

Switching to renewables

SIDS are babelike connected imported petroleum to conscionable their vigor demands. As good arsenic creating pollution, shipping the fossil substance to islands comes astatine a sizeable cost. Recognizing these problems, immoderate of these countries person been palmy successful efforts to displacement to renewable vigor sources.

For example, Tokelau, successful the South Pacific, is gathering adjacent to 100 per cent  of its vigor needs done renewables, portion Barbados, successful the Caribbean, is committed to powering the state with 100 per cent renewable vigor sources and reaching zero c emissions by 2030.

Several SIDS person besides acceptable ambitious renewable vigor targets: Samoa, the Cook Islands, Cabo Verde, Fiji, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Vanuatu are aiming to summation the stock of renewables successful their vigor mixes, from 60 to 100 per cent, whilst successful 2018, Seychelles launched the world’s archetypal sovereign bluish bond, a pioneering fiscal instrumentality to enactment sustainable marine and fisheries projects.

UNDP/Pierre Michel Jean

Sustainable sportfishing is improving livelihoods successful Haiti.

The powerfulness of accepted knowledge

The age-old practices of indigenous communities, combined with the latest technological innovations, are being progressively seen arsenic important ways to accommodate to the changes brought astir by the clime crisis, and mitigate its impact. 

In Papua New Guinea, section residents usage locally-produced coconut oil arsenic a cheaper, much sustainable alternate to diesel; seafaring vessels passim the islands of Micronesia and Melanesia successful the Pacific are utilizing star panels and batteries alternatively of interior combustion; mangrove forests are being restored connected islands similar Tonga and Vanuatu to code utmost upwind arsenic they support communities against tempest surges and sequester carbon; and successful the Pacific, a instauration is gathering accepted Polynesian canoes, oregon vakas, serving arsenic sustainable rider and cargo transport for wellness services, education, catastrophe alleviation and research.

UNDP/Stephane Belleros

Solar panels are maintained astatine a workplace successful Mauritius.

Strategies for survival

While SIDS person brought overmuch needed attraction to the plight of susceptible nations, overmuch remains to beryllium done to enactment them successful becoming much resilient, and adapting to a satellite of rising oversea levels and utmost upwind events.

On average, SIDS are much severely indebted than different processing countries, and the availability of “climate financing” (the wealth which needs to beryllium spent connected a full scope of activities which volition lend to slowing down clime change) is of cardinal importance. 

More than a decennary ago, developed countries committed to jointly mobilize $100 cardinal per twelvemonth by 2020 successful enactment of clime enactment successful processing countries; the magnitude these nations are receiving is rising, but determination is inactive a important financing gap. A precocious published UN News diagnostic story explains however clime concern works, and the UN’s role.

Beyond adaptation and resilience to clime change, SIDS besides request enactment to assistance them thrive successful an ever-more uncertain world. The UN, done its Development Programme (UNDP), is helping these susceptible countries successful a host of ways, truthful that they tin successfully diversify their economies; amended vigor independency by gathering up renewable sources and reducing dependence connected substance imports; make and make sustainable tourism industries, and modulation to a “blue economy”, which protects and restores marine environments.

UNDP/Yuichi Ishida

A pistillate harvests brackish successful a mangrove successful Timor-Leste.