ABSTRACT
The possible rendering, by climate change, of entire islands as uninhabitable has been a matter of significant concern in small island states (and other island locations) since the identification of sea level rise risk for these types of geographic sites in climate science in the early 1990s. 1 Sea level rise and other climate change impacts, such as changing rainfall and extreme weather patterns, compound existing development challenges in small island states, such as limited natural resources and remoteness. Livelihoods, many of which are subsistence-based, are at risk, as are water and food security, health, indigenous knowledge, and cultural identity. 2 Whole island and coastal communities, and entire nations in the case of low-lying atoll states such as Kiribati and Tuvalu, face increased pressure to relocate—in some cases due to environmental conditions, but also as alarmist rhetoric circulates and policy decisions about sites of future risk are implemented. 3
