Islands First

Pacific Islands call for Special Representative on Climate Change and Security
Security Council adopts Presidential Statement recognizing the link between climate change and international peace and security. | learn more

Pacific Islands call for Special Representative on Climate Change and Security
Security Council adopts Presidential Statement recognizing the link between climate change and international peace and security. | learn more

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Bleached Coral

  • Coral Bleaching
  • Coral bleaching is a serious threat and the numerous coral bleaching episodes have devastated left coral reefs worldwide. The most severe one, the 1998 coral bleaching event which functionally destroyed 16% of the world’s coral reefs (today 40% have recovered). The latest coral bleaching was in 2005 which killed 50% of the Caribbean coral reefs. | more

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Rising Sea-Level

  • Rising Sea-Level
  • When people think about the most devastating impact of climate change, rising sea-level is probably the first thing that comes to mind. And for good reason. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) global sea-level has been rising at about 2mm per year for the better part of the last century. The IPCC projects sea-level to rise about another 30 to 40cm by the end of the century, however the latest research is making these projections look overly optimistic. | more

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Extreme Weather

  • Extreme Weather
  • While no individual storm or heat wave can be directly tied to climate change, there is little doubt that higher global temperatures will lead to more frequent and more intense extreme weather events. Powerful hurricanes, dangerous heatwaves, and protracted droughts are all expected to become more commonplace in the future. Small islands are especially vulnerable. | more

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Ocean Acidification

  • Ocean Acidification
  • Oceans are one of the most important carbon sinks, having absorbed more than half of the CO2 emitted since the beginning of the industrial era . However, this process is rapidly changing the very chemistry of the oceans, posing a grave threat to corral reefs and the ecosystems for which they are the foundation. | more

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Food Security

  • Food Security
  • Many small islands are highly dependent on subsistence fishing and agriculture for the bulk of their food supply. Some islands have successfully provided for the nutritional needs of their people in this manner for thousands of years. Climate change is threatening these two activities and leaving their food security more uncertain. | more

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Water Security

  • Water Security
  • Reliable access to freshwater is one of the fundamental pillars on which society is built. It is a necessary prerequisite for ensuring food security and a functioning system of public health. For small islands, securing adequate freshwater supplies for drinking, sanitation, and agriculture is a constant challenge and climate change is only making it more difficult. | more

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Climate Displacement

  • Climate Displacement
  • Climate change threatens to displace millions of people from their homes. Most of those displaced will be from developing countries, though developed countries are by no means immune. Adaptation will be necessary for many islands just to compensate for warming that has already occurred, but at a certain point adaptation will become impossible unless it is accompanied by strong mitigation efforts. | more

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