Comparing perceived effects of climate-related environmental change and adaptation strategies for the Pacific small island states of Tuvalu, Samoa, and Tonga

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Inhabitants of Pacific small island states are facing multiple socio-ecological pressures, with climate change being one of the most prominent. Nevertheless, the agency of local stakeholders in decisions on how to adapt to climate-related environmental change has been largely underappreciated in the climate change sciences as well as in policy decisions. We, therefore, conducted a survey study in Tuvalu, Samoa, and Tonga, asking specifically how residents perceive their situation regarding climate-related challenges, what adaptation strategies they have devised and implemented, and what they expect of governmental and nongovernmental organisations in these efforts. In contrast to the common perception that Pacific small island states are primarily threatened by rising sea levels, residents' perceptions indicate that drought, cyclones and other flood-related problems pose a far more imminent danger. Our results suggest that further research on those perceived environmental changes is advisable to provide reliable data for scientific models and policy decisions.

Small island perspectives on climate change

“…The papers in this special thematic section examine a wide geographical range of islands (see Figure 1), with three in the South Pacific (Beyerl et al, 2018;Perkins & Krause, 2018;Perumal 2018), one in the Caribbean (Robinson, 2018), and one in the British Isles (Petzold, 2018). Two papers discuss islands groups which are extraterritorial lands and which are not SIDS (Ferdinand, 2018;Schwebel, 2018), and one takes a theoretical approach (Kelman, 2018).…”

“…Two papers discuss islands groups which are extraterritorial lands and which are not SIDS (Ferdinand, 2018;Schwebel, 2018), and one takes a theoretical approach (Kelman, 2018). The first paper, by Beyerl et al (2018), involves a survey of communities in Tuvalu, Samoa, and Tonga, demonstrating that contrary to the mainstream perception that sea level rise is the primary concern, islanders instead prioritise drought, cyclones, and other waterrelated problems. The research also highlights how these communities have developed and implemented their own adaptation strategies and their expectations of the different stakeholders involved, including the government.…”

Extreme weather events in Small Island Developing States: barriers to climate change adaptation among coastal communities in a remote island of Fiji

“…Similarly, coastal cities can benefit from community-based adaptation where there is weak infrastructure and few resources, as communities themselves can offer a diverse set of tools and solutions, such as supporting the mapping and enumeration of informal settlements and providing tailor-made coping strategies to respond to immediate and future risks (Mycoo & Donovan, 2017). It is increasingly recognised that coastal communities in SIDS tend to be aware of and employ effective strategies to cope with climate change impacts (Aswani & Lauer, 2014;Magee, Verdon-Kidd, Kiem, & Royle, 2016) while recognising the challenges of low-income and limited financial resources (Beyerl, Mieg, & Weber, 2018). It is well understood that the characteristics of poverty, such as low-income and poor infrastructure, can act as barriers to the uptake of effective adaptation measures (Klein et al, 2005;Schipper, 2007), even with the presence of development investments in CCA (Ayers & Huq, 2009).…”

Comparing perceptions of climate-related environmental changes for Tuvalu, Samoa, and Tonga

“…In order to better support the planning of adaptation strategies, awarenessraising programs, and the implementation of effective precautionary measures, it is crucial to be aware of how people perceive the situation that needs to be addressed (Beyerl, Mieg, & Weber, 2018). Simply put, if people do not notice adverse change, they might not see any need to do something about it.…”