Climate Change, Global Shifts, Urbanization, Migration Islands on the Climate Front Line: Risk and Resilience
November 1, 2022
By
Perry World House
Climate change is a defining global challenge of this century. If global warming continues to progress as it has done, there will be dire consequences for everyone on the planet. With the dangerous levels of warming predicted, climate change will be not only an environmental threat, but a collective socioeconomic crisis. It will impact where people can live; where they work; how they travel; and how much they have to eat.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are among those countries most vulnerable to this burgeoning emergency, and are already feeling its impacts. Many are remote, with much of their populations living in areas exposed to storm surges and sea-level rise. Their economies are often dependent on natural resources, making them highly susceptible to a changing climate. SIDS are harbingers of what will happen around the world in the coming decades, forced to lead the search for solutions to a problem they did not cause.
To advance ideas on how SIDS can respond to climate change, Perry World House convened its 2022 Global Shifts Colloquium, “Islands on the Climate Front Line: Risk and Resilience.” Stakeholders representing a range of academic and policy institutions—as well as the three island regions of the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean and South China Sea— investigated SIDS’ climate vulnerability and discussed how they can prepare for this environmental and socioeconomic emergency, and what the international community can learn from their efforts.
The colloquium report—accompanied by a series of thought pieces from participants—sets out how to foster local, regional, and global climate action, and build climate adaptation across critical sectors.
Read the report here
Thought Pieces
The Legacies of Colonialism and Environmental Justice in the Era of Climate Change
Towards Environmental Justice in an Era of Climate Change: The Nexus between History and Impactful Policy Formation in the Caribbean by Heather Cateau
Applying Restorative Justice to Climate-Related Loss and Damage in Small Island Developing States by Stacy-ann Robinson
Preparing for the Worst Impacts of Climate Change
Human Mobility in the Context of SIDS and Climate Change: Pre-empting, Planning, and Contingency Arrangements for Adverse Climate Change Impacts by Koko Warner (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
Addressing Climate Risks in Small Island States – Opportunities for Action by Zinta Zommers (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
Building Urban Resilience in the Caribbean
Building Urban Resilience in the Caribbean: Policies, Practices, and Prospects by Michelle Mycoo (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
Pursuing Sectoral Resilience: Biodiversity, Energy, and Green Livelihoods
Local Green-blue Enterprises as a Pathway to Sustainable, Inclusive, Fair and Climate Resilient Economic Development in Caribbean SIDS by Nicole Leotaud (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
The Terrestrial Island Biodiversity Conundrum by Shobha Maharaj (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
Renewables and Energy Transitions in Small Island States by Kalim U. Shah (published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s SDG Knowledge Hub)
