EXPERT Q&A: Pacific climate adaptation research in focus

“The Pacific, as we all know, is at the forefront of some of the dramatic and very, very transformative impacts of climate change: in the form of Category Five cyclones, in the form of oceanic transformation, the impact on reefs, the impact on marine life and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific that, over time, has led to erosion of small island states like Tuvalu and Kiribati and a few others. It is predicted that in the next 100 years or so, they may become uninhabitable, given the increase in sea level rise, as well as the impact of climate change in different ways. 

“So, it’s very significant for the voices of small island states to be heard as well in the bigger context of debate in relation to adaptation. The [conference] programme is quite interrelated and interdisciplinary: [it includes] indigenous innovation and living ocean islands and futures, city settlements and infrastructure, food, water and biodiversity… a whole lot of things to bring together all these various expertise as a way of feeding into each other, supporting each other, and enriching not only the narratives, not only the research, but also the policies and the practical implications of how research can help in things such as just transition, in relation to how we can address the big issue of climate change.”