Adaptation to Climate Change in Small Island Developing States: A Systematic Literature Review of Academic Research

• Author: Patrick D. Nunn,Carola Klöck
• Published date: 01 June 2019
• DOI: 10.1177/1070496519835895
• Date: 01 June 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Adaptation to Climate

Change in Small Island

Developing States:

A Systematic Literature

Review of Academic

Research

Carola Klo

¨ck

1

and Patrick D. Nunn

2

Abstract

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a common vulnerability to climate

change. Adaptation to climate change and variability is urgently needed yet, while

some is already occurring in SIDS, research on the nature and efficacy of adaptation

across SIDS is fragmentary. In this article, we systematically review academic litera-

ture to identify where adaptation in SIDS is documented; what type of adaptation

strategies are taken, and in response to which climate change impacts; and the extent

to which this adaptation has been judged as successful. Our analysis indicates that

much adaptation research is concentrated on the Pacific, on independent island

states, and on core areas within SIDS. Research docum ents a wide array of adapta-

tion strategies across SIDS, notably structural or physical and behavioral changes. Yet,

evaluation of concrete adaptation interventions is lacking; it thus remains unclear to

what extent documented adaptation effectively and sustainably reduces SIDS’ vulner-

ability and increases their resilience.

Keywords

adaptation, Small Island Developing States, systematic literature review, tracking

adaptation, islands

Journal of Environment &

Development

2019, Vol. 28(2) 196–218

!The Author(s) 2019

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/1070496519835895

journals.sagepub.com/home/jed

1

Centre for International Research, Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France

2

Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia

Corresponding Author:

Carola Klo

¨ck, Centre for International Research, Sciences Po Paris, Paris, France.

Email: carola.kloeck@sciencespo.fr

Small islands have become iconic in climate change discourse on account of

their conspicuous vulnerability (Barnett & Campbell, 2010). They are popularly

characterized as ‘‘canaries in the coalmine’’ or ‘‘barometers of climate

change,’’ being among the f‌irst and worst af‌fected landmasses (Barnett &

Waters, 2016; Farbotko, 2010; Lazrus, 2012). The media may alarmingly repre-

sent small islands as ‘‘sinking’’ or ‘‘titanic’’ places that helpless islanders need to

evacuate as ‘‘climate refugees,’’ a scenario that many resist (Farbotko, 2005;

Kench, Ford, & Owen, 2018; McNamara & Gibson, 2009; Weir, Dovey, &

Orcherton, 2017).

Such representations may help garner awareness and support for the chal-

lenges that many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face in dealing with

climate change, but they are overly simplistic and mask both the diversity of

small islands and the time-tested resilience of many island societies (Baldacchino

& Niles, 2011; Barnett & Waters, 2016; Hay, 2013; Nunn & Kumar, 2018). SIDS

compose a heterogeneous group of 58 countries and dependent territories,

1

not

all of which are small (e.g., Papua New Guinea and Haı

¨ti), islands (e.g.,

Suriname and Guyana), developing (e.g., Anguilla or Singapore), or states

(e.g., British and U.S. Virgin Islands). SIDS dif‌fer vastly in their geography,

history, cultures, and economic development but share a singular vulnerability

to the adverse ef‌fects of climate change. That said, the types of impact and the

level of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity—including resources, insti-

tutions, or technology—dif‌fer both across and within individual SIDS (e.g.,

Barnett & Campbell, 2010; Barnett & Waters, 2016; Kelman & West, 2009;

Lazrus, 2012; Nunn, Aalbersberg, Lata, & Gwilliam, 2014).

SIDS are today experiencing the impacts of changing climatic conditions,

including warming, sea-level rise, changing precipitation patterns, and increased

intensity of tropical storms—well illustrated by Hurricane Matthew in the

Caribbean (2016) or Tropical Cyclones Pam (2015) and Winston (2016) in the

Pacif‌ic (Walsh et al., 2016). The need for ef‌fective and sustainable adaptation on

small islands is becoming increasingly exigent as the pace of 21st-century climate

change gathers momentum (Mimura et al., 2007; Nurse et al., 2014).

The status of most SIDS as early adaptors to climate change and their iconic

place in climate change discourse means that SIDS are particularly suitable for

studying adaptation policy and practice (Bertrand & Richard, 2010; Lazrus,

2012). Accordingly, a growing body of research focuses on assessing the vulner-

ability of (island) countries and communities to climate change, including their

adaptive capacity or potential for adaptation (see Hay & Mimura, 2013, for an

overview). Yet, adaptive capacity does not automatically translate into ef‌fective

sustainable adaptation policies and plans. Similarly, these do not automatically

translate into concrete adaptation actions on the ground, especially in SIDS

where there are institutional, capacity, and even cultural constraints on global

(generic) adaptation solutions (Dean, Green, & Nunn, 2016; Henly-Shepard,

McNamara, & Bronen, 2018; Nunn, 2010).

Klo¨ck and Nunn 197