Coping with Climate Change in Pacific Island Cities

What is it about?

Pacific Island cities are very exposed to natural hazards, and often lack the resources and planning process to adapt to climate change. This paper looks at the unplanned parts of two Pacific cities - Port Vila, Vanuatu and Honiara, Solomon Islands - to find out how informal communities are coping with climate impacts.

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Photo by Alec Douglas on Unsplash

Photo by Alec Douglas on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The Pacific is often viewed as one of the 'front lines' of climate change, but its people have adapted to high levels of natural disaster exposure for thousands of years. International development projects often struggle to engage with these traditional forms of knowledge, particularly during disaster response. Even less is understood of the complex colonial histories of Pacific cities, with the rapid rates of urban growth and informality present in many Pacific Island Countries overlooked for more commonly perceived rural island settings. This paper provides some insight into the community-level approaches to natural disasters in these Pacific cities, which provide important context particularly for international development programs trying to assist Pacific Small Island Developing States in coping with climate-related disasters and climate change.