Disasters, and therefore disaster response, in the Pacific are expected to be affected by climate change. This research addressed this issue, and focused on the immediate humanitarian needs following a disaster, drawing upon adaptive capacity as a concept to assess the resilience of individual organisations and the robustness of the broader system of disaster response..
Four case study countries (Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Samoa) were chosen for deeper investigation of the range of issues present in the Pacific.
Beach ecosystem based adaptation (EbA) can increase resilience of beaches to storms and sea level rise, using access control fencing and gateways, beach vegetation replanting and use of brush matting to protect beach erosion scarps from direct wave action. This report is the result of a project that applied EbA methods at seven eroding beaches on Abaiang, all located on community land, in demonstrations involving all of the ten villages on the main island.
The research sought to understand the adaptive capacity of both Pacific island countries (PICs) and Australia’s disaster response to a potential increase in disasters driven by climate change. This report provides results for Vanuatu – one of four case study countries selected for deeper analysis.
This study examines the current influence of climate change on Samoa by looking at the three tenets of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. It also analyzes how environmentally secure Samoa is and will be, using Thomas Homer Dixon’s theory on climate change and conflict. Finally, the paper seeks to outline the current system of adaptation awareness that exists between government, community and foreign aid
components, and propose future strategies.
July 2017. Granderson.
2017 American Meteorological Society. For information regarding reuse of this content and general copyright information, consult the AMS Copyright Policy (www.ametsoc.org/PUBSReuseLicenses).
Atmosphere and Climate Physical Climate Cook Islands consists of data on local knowledge on climate variability, energy in Cook Islands and Review of mainstreaming of climate change into national plans and policies in Cook Islands