It is beyond apparent that climate change affects people, animals, ecosystems, biodiversity, the economy, cultures, etc. The list goes on and on. A specific area that experiences all these impacts quite extensively is small islands. Compared to larger land masses, small islands are under a much greater threat. Islands are surrounded by water, and we know that the oceans have been an ever-changing system because of climate change. Sea level rise, strong storms, coral reef bleaching, and loss of biodiversity are the major changes happening to our oceans.
Sea Level Rise Risks
Commonly known as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), coastal changes are a risk three hundred sixty degrees around them unfortunately. If emissions continue to rise as they currently are, coastal flooding and erosion will increase fourteen times. Fourteen times! It is a good time to live inland of Michigan. This will have detrimental effects of the residents of these SIDS. Relocation and rebuilding will become the norm. Extreme damages may also lead to forced migration for many residents. SIDS in the Caribbean, East Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans will be at the greatest risk.
SIDS are often more isolated and amid many ocean storms, such as cyclones. Hurricane Dorian of 2019, for example, struck The Bahamas and was very damaging to the island. The costs were up to three billion dollars for repairs, 30,000 people were affected in some way, 67 people died, and 282 people were missing. This is comparable to the storm in Dominica in 2017 that had 1.3 billion dollars in damages. Yet, these islands are the lucky ones because some small islands are completely lost to storms, such as Kale and Rapita.
Coral Reef Bleaching and Biodiversity Loss
Many small islands have a dependency on their surrounding waters for their economy and livelihoods. 600 million livelihoods are based on fishing, a great amount of these is island based. Fisheries, coastal protection, and aquaculture are common areas of workers on the island. Most of these islands are developing nations so their fishing practices are small-scale and sustainable. Yet, as climate change is raising the temperature of the ocean and causing acidification which bleaches the coral, the biodiversity is impacted. Many fish rely on these reefs as their habitat and when there’s less available habitat, there’s less fish. Coral reefs and other water-based habitats, like mangroves, are also natural protectors against storms. Losing these areas further increases small islands susceptibility to storm damage. Another implication of losing coral reefs is that tourism supports these beautiful islands and people travel to see them. When the biodiversity and overall state of the island is suffering, tourism decreases and this has economic downsides. You can see that coral reefs are the backbone of the ocean and islands in a sense.
Some islands that are specifically at risk are Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Maldives amongst several others. Many of these you have probably heard of and possibly have on your bucket list of places to visit. What will happen when these islands are uninhabitable because of climate change? Where will these people go? How many unique species here will go extinct? Change is very apparent on these smaller islands and the change is frightening. Action is required to save these beautiful places.
Many small islands have a dependency on their surrounding waters for their economy and livelihoods. 600 million livelihoods are based on fishing, a great amount of these is island based. Fisheries, coastal protection, and aquaculture are common areas of workers on the island. Most of these islands are developing nations so their fishing practices are small-scale and sustainable. Yet, as climate change is raising the temperature of the ocean and causing acidification which bleaches the coral, the biodiversity is impacted. Many fish rely on these reefs as their habitat and when there’s less available habitat, there’s less fish. Coral reefs and other water-based habitats, like mangroves, are also natural protectors against storms. Losing these areas further increases small islands susceptibility to storm damage. Another implication of losing coral reefs is that tourism supports these beautiful islands and people travel to see them. When the biodiversity and overall state of the island is suffering, tourism decreases and this has economic downsides. You can see that coral reefs are the backbone of the ocean and islands in a sense.
Some islands that are specifically at risk are Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Maldives amongst several others. Many of these you have probably heard of and possibly have on your bucket list of places to visit. What will happen when these islands are uninhabitable because of climate change? Where will these people go? How many unique species here will go extinct? Change is very apparent on these smaller islands and the change is frightening. Action is required to save these beautiful places.
Wow! This is not something that I have given a lot of thought to. You did a great job writing this post. It is terrible the detrimental things that happen to these islands. I would feel so scared were I to live there.
ReplyDeleteNice post, Lindsay. It's heartbreaking to think about the loss of these unique cultures and natural wonders. It certainly doesn't help that many small island nations simply don't have the resources to deal with the effects of climate change.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that not a lot of people, including me think about. This is a really good post and topic to bring to light. The fact that coastal flooding and erosion will increase by 14 times is insane.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the rich analysis of your analysis, including not just sea level rise but loss of habitat and sustainable ways of living. Of course these islands had nothing to do with creating the problem and life on them is facing extinction.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Lindsay! You clearly showed how small islands are heavily impacted by climate change. I was shocked to learn flooding risk could rise 14 times.
ReplyDeleteDo you think these islands are getting enough global support?
Thanks for shedding light on this!
At cop 26 Tuvalu's foreign minister did a speech demanding action against climate change affecting his island. The speech is titled "we are sink" showing that his island is disappearing underneath the sea. He did this interview while in knee deep water in a full suit to demonstrate sea level rise.
ReplyDeleteThey are suffering in a way that the people here in the US could never imagine. They are not the problem with climate change and yet they are among the first to feel the awful affects.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking to think that entire nations like Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands could become uninhabitable in our lifetime. These communities are literally on the frontlines of climate change with nowhere else to go.
ReplyDeleteI have been seeing a lot of media around the damage and dangers facing small islands from climate change. I think its horrible how these places produce the least amount of carbn emissions and still suffer the most. Soon many beautiful islands will be submerged in rising sea levels
ReplyDeletethe dangers that plague the small islands one day becoming wastelands hurts me. I know we have issues on mainlands but even worse for smaller island nations
ReplyDeleteI have forgotten with the changing climate that island nations are soon going to be eroding away and the people live in these areas will eventually have to go a migrate somewhere else. It was very insightful for you to bring this up.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post! I had not even thought about the dangers of being on an island with little to no protection. Being surrounded by rising waters with extreme weather seems so scary! I can't imagine what it would be like to up and leave my home because it's not livable anymore.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about the life of these islands and the coral reefs that are near them it just goes to show that climate change affects a lot of things even things we don't see or think about.
ReplyDeleteThe dire impacts of climate change on small islands underscore the urgent need for global action to protect these vulnerable ecosystems and the communities that depend on them before they become uninhabitable.
ReplyDeleteIt is horrifying to think about the impacts climate change has on these small islands, especially with so many of them being developing nations and/or states. These communities and cultures deserve the opportunity to thrive without the threat being swallowed by the oceans.
ReplyDeleteIts terrifying to see these island nations slip away aswell as losing their cultures
ReplyDeleteAnd think how scary it would be if you lived on one of these islands!
DeleteI appreciate you touching on the effects of small islands that experience the extreme effects of climate change. It is not only destroying these native people's homes and infrastructure, but is ruining their connection to the land, cultural practices, and livelihoods. It is beyond sad and deserves more recognition so that we can reverse the effects of climate change to protect as much of these areas as we can.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Lindsay! The sentence; "It is a good time to live inland Michigan." is something I am hearing a lot more often from people in this area. The undeniable presence of climate change is changing people’s ideas of what is considered comfortable. I also appreciate that you ended with a call to action. I’ve heard that we have too many calls to action and not enough action, but action often starts from awareness. So, I say, the more calls to action, the better.
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