Small Island Developing States: Vulnerability and Resilience Under Climate Change (The World of Small States, 9)

This book explores how vulnerable and resilient communities from SIDS are affected by climate change; proposes and, where possible, evaluates adaptation activities; identifies factors capable of enhancing or inhibiting SIDS people’s long-term ability to deal with climate change; and critiques the discourses, vocabularies, and constructions around SIDS dealing with climate change. The contributions, written by well-established scholars, as well as emerging authors and practitioners, in the field, include conceptual papers, coherent methodological approaches, and case studies from the communities based in the Caribbean Sea and the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. In their introduction, the editors contextualise the book within the current literature. They emphasise the importance of stronger links between climate change science and policy in SIDS, both to increase effectiveness of policy and also boost scholarly enquiry in the context of whose communities are often excluded by mainstream research. This book is timely and appropriate, given the recent commission by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of a Special Report that aims at addressing vulnerabilities, “especially in islands and coastal areas, as well as the adaptation and policy development opportunities” following the Paris Agreement. Coupled with this, there is also the need to support the policy community with further scientific evidence on climate change–related issues in SIDS, accompanying the first years of implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Acknowledgments Contents Introduction to the Book 1 The Main Thrust and Rationale of the Book 2 Structure of the Book 3 Conclusions References Part I: Concepts and Dimensions States of `Knowing ́: Uncertainty, Ambiguity and Risk in SIDS Climate Change Impacts 1 Introduction 2 Understanding the Past: Climate `Data ́ in a Small Island Context 2.1 Island Climate 2.2 Oceans 3 Anticipating the Future: Climate Models in Small Island Contexts 4 Planning for the Future: Informing Adaptation in SIDS 5 Outlook References Climate and Development Research in Small Island Developing States: The Benefits of a Political Ecology Approach 1 Introduction 2 Why Political Ecology Research on Climate and Development in Islands? 3 Vulnerability, Climate and Development on Islands 4 Sovereignty and Climate (in)Justice 5 Migration for a Better Future? 6 Disaster Risk Reduction in a Changing Climate 7 Natural Resource Management Trade-offs in a Changing Climate 8 Conclusions: Towards a Political Ecology of Islands References Part II: Sectors Community Participation, Situated Knowledge and Climate Change (Mal-)Adaptation in Rural Island Communities: Evidence from Art... 1 Introduction 2 Literature Review: Community Participation and Indigenous Knowledge 3 Seawalls as Popular Yet Maladaptive Adaptations 3.1 Responding to Shoreline Changes in Fiji 3.2 The Life Cycle of a Seawall in Fiji 4 Lack of Knowledge Transfers and Climate Change Maladaptation 5 Conclusion References Widening the Scope of Disaster Preparedness in the Caribbean: Building Resilience Through Improving Climate Information 1 The Caribbean: Inherent Vulnerability and Disaster Risk 2 Managing and Reducing Disaster Risk in the Global Context 2.1 Managing and Reducing Disaster Risk in the Caribbean 3 Beyond Disaster Management and Recovery in the Caribbean: Developing a Wider Sense of Preparedness and Building Resilience 3.1 Dominica and Storm Disasters 3.2 Tropical Storm Erika, August 27th 2015 3.3 Learning from Erika 4 Towards Building Resilience in the Caribbean: The Role of Climate Information 5 The Way Forward Appendix References Sustainable Land Use Systems in Natural Resource Policies: The Role of Agroforestry in the Rio Conventions for Small Island De... 1 Introduction 2 Agroforestry Systems in SIDS 3 Methods 4 Results 4.1 Agroforestry and NDC Targets 4.2 Agroforestry and NAP References 4.3 Agroforestry and NBSAP References 5 Discussion 6 Conclusion Detailed List of Agroforestry References in the Three Rio Conventions References Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture: Insights from the Small Island Economy of Mauritius 1 Introduction 2 Climate and Agroecosystem 3 Modelling Climate Impacts on Agriculture 4 Climate Change in Mauritius 5 Materials and Methods 5.1 Conceptual Framework 5.2 Data Collection Strategy 5.3 Econometric Modelling 6 Findings 7 Conclusion and Implications for Policy References The Early Development of the Small Island Developing States ́ Climate Governance: A Disproportionate Impact on UN Climate Negot... 1 Introduction 2 SIDS as Vulnerable But Resilient Actors 3 A Constructivist Hypothesis for Climate Change Politics 3.1 Social Construction of International Affairs: The Constructivist Turn 4 Shared Ideas and Consensus Building in SIDS ́ Climate Politics 5 Coalitional Impact and Climate Conventions 6 Conclusion References Social and Economic Vulnerability to Climate Change: A Gender Dimension for Indian Ocean Islands 1 Introduction 2 Gender, Vulnerability and Adaptability to Climate Change 3 Social and Economic Vulnerability to Climate Change 4 Regional Setting: A Brief on the Indian Ocean Islands 5 Methods 5.1 The Inform Risk Index and the Emergency Events Data 5.2 Building the Socio-Economic Vulnerability Index via a Gender Lens 6 Data Analysis: The Hazards and Exposure Dimension: A Regional Perspective 7 Findings 7.1 The Socio-Economic Vulnerability Index: A Gender Approach 7.2 Lack of Coping Capacity 8 Conclusion and Gender-Inclusive Climate Change Policy Options References Vulnerability of Jamaica ́s South Coast Fishing Communities to Coastal Erosion and Flooding 1 Introduction 1.1 Climate Change Implications 2 Methodology 2.1 Coastal Vulnerability Assessment 2.2 Community-Based Vulnerability Assessment 3 Results 3.1 Coastal Erosion and Fisheries Businesses 3.2 Vulnerability to Coastal Flooding 3.3 Community Wellbeing and Adaptation Response Options 4 Conclusions References Fisheries Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change in Small Island Developing States 1 Introduction 2 Differences and Similarities in Vulnerability of SIDS to Climate Change 3 Methodology 3.1 Vulnerability Framework 3.2 Data Analysis 4 Results 4.1 Component Comparison of the Three SIDS Groups 4.2 Subcomponents of the Three Categories 5 Discussion and Conclusion Appendix A: Indicators Used for Analysis References Part III: Places Vulnerabilities to Climate Change and Enhancing Resilience in Caribbean Small Island Developing States: A Spatial Planning Fra... 1 Introduction 1.1 History of Spatial Planning in the English-Speaking Caribbean 1.2 Spatial Planning Deficiencies and Climate Change Vulnerability in Case Study Countries 1.2.1 Trinidad and Tobago: Spatial Development Planning 1.2.2 Trinidad and Tobago: Development Control 1.2.3 St Lucia: Spatial Development Planning 1.2.4 St Lucia: Development Control 2 A Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Climate Change Resilience in Caribbean SIDS 2.1 Strengthening Spatial Plan Preparation and Implementation 2.2 Implementing Development Standards for Climate Proofing 2.3 Adapting Water Supply Using Spatial Planning Standards 2.4 Promote Ecosystems-Based Approaches and Green Infrastructure 2.5 Managing Unauthorised Spatial Development 2.6 The Role of Market Mechanisms in Spatial Planning 2.7 Education, Empowerment and Behavioural Change 2.8 New Technologies 2.9 Corporate Social Responsibility 3 Conclusion References Human Mobility and Disasters in Pacific and Caribbean Small Island Developing States 1 Introduction 2 Natural Hazards 2.1 Pacific SIDS 2.2 Caribbean SIDS 3 Human Mobility and Disaster Displacement in the Global Agenda 4 Human Mobility in the Context of Disasters in the Regional Agendas of Pacific and Caribbean SIDS 5 Human Mobility and Disaster Displacement Policies 5.1 Caribbean SIDS 5.2 Pacific SIDS 6 Conclusions References Climate Change and the Case of Grenada ́s Blue Growth Plan: Using the SDGs to Propose a Policy Planning Framework for SIDS ́s Su... 1 Introduction 2 Resilience and Vulnerability: Two-Sides of the Same Coin? 3 The Concept of the Blue Economy 4 Grenada ́s Blue Growth Plan: Towards Sustainable Development? 5 The SDGs as a Planning Framework 5.1 An Illustration of Applying the Framework to the Blue Growth Plan 5.1.1 SDG14 + SDG 1 6 Using the SDGs Framework: Implications for Policy 6.1 Integrated Policy, Goal-Setting and Planning Towards Sustainable Development 6.2 Policy, Resilience Building and Sustainable Development 7 Conclusions References Identifying Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Challenges in the Caribbean SIDS: An Urban Morphological Approach 1 Introduction 2 Understanding Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation 3 Negril, A Case Study 4 Methodology 5 Long Bay ́s Vulnerability 5.1 Physiognomic and Infrastructural Threats 5.2 Long Bay ́s Elevation 5.3 Coastal Setbacks and Building Footprints 5.4 Accessibility and Emergency Evacuation 6 Negril Adaptation Planning and Challenges 7 Conclusion References The Contentious Policies of Place and Space: The Maldives, Overpopulation, and Climate Concerns 1 Introduction 2 Climate Vulnerability and Atoll Habitability 3 Democratic Development and Challenges 4 Methodology and Research Sites 5 Multi-Level Governance Priorities 5.1 National Level 5.2 Atoll Level 5.3 Island Level 6 The Contentious Policies of Place and Space 7 Conclusion References Coral Islands, Climate Change and Distant Destinies? The View from Kiribati 1 Introduction 2 Atoll Challenges 3 Colonial Times 4 Resettlement 5 Urbanisation 6 International Migration 7 Migration with Dignity 8 Aspirations and Objectives 9 Conclusion References Index