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Effects of Climate Change on Island Nations

Climate change is producing drastic changes to Earth processes and changing Earth's environmental status quo. Especially pertinent to human development is the threat of climate change on island nations. As sea levels continue to rise island peoples and cultures are being threatened. As the former President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Christopher Jorebon Loek, noted "In the last year alone, my country has suffered through unprecedented droughts in the north, and the biggest ever king tides in the south; and we have watched the most devastating typhoons in history leave a trail of death and destruction across the region." <ref> Loeak, Christopher Jorebon. "A Clarion Call From the Climate Change Frontline." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-jorebon-loeak/a-clarion-call-from-the-c_b_5833180.html. Website. <ref> Efforts to combat theses environmental changes are ongoing and multinational. Particularly notable is the adoption of the Paris agreement at the UN Climate Summit in Paris in 2016.

Sea Level Rise

One of the dominant manifestations of climate change is sea level rise. NOAA estimates that "since 1992, new methods of satellite altimetry (the measurement of elevation or altitude) indicate a rate of rise of 0.12 inches per year" <ref> "Is Sea Level Rising?" Is Sea Level Rising? NOAA, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html. <ref>. In addition, NASA calculates that average sea level rise is 3.41 mm per year and that sea level rise is directly caused by the expansion of water as it warms and the melting of polar ice caps <ref> "Sea Level." NASA, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ sea-level/>. <ref>. Both of these changes are dependent on global warming and thusly climate change. Sea level rise is especially threatening to low lying island nations because seas are encroaching upon limited habitable land and threatening existing cultures.

Other Effects of Climate Change

There are many secondary effects of climate change and sea level rise particular to island nations. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service climate change in the Pacific Islands will cause "continued increases in air and ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and increased rainfall during the summer months and a decrease in rainfall during the winter months" <ref> "Climate Change in the Pacific Islands." Climate Change in the Pacific Islands. US Fish and Wildlife Service, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://www.fws.gov/pacific/climatechange/changepi.html>. <ref>. As sea level rises island nations are at increased risk of losing coastal arable land to degradation as well as salinification. This would severely impact the agricultural sector in nations such as the Marshall Islands and Kiribati <ref> "Climate Change Impacts - Pacific Islands -." The Global Mechanism (n.d.): n.pag. IFAD. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. <http://www.ifad.org/events/apr09/impact/islands.pdf>. <ref>. In addition local fisheries would also be severely affected by higher ocean temperatures and increased ocean acidification. As well as this, water supplies and local ecosystems such as mangroves, are threatened by global warming. The tourism sector would be particularly threatened by increased occurrences of extreme weather events such as hurricanes and droughts <ref> "Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region." Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region. GIZ, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016. https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/14200.html. <ref>.

Maldives

The Maldives are a collection of far spread, low lying islands located in the Pacific Ocean. Climate change is severely threatening the very existence of the Maldives as well as diminishing existing human capabilities on these islands. According to the World Bank, with "future sea levels projected to increase in the range of 10 to 100 centimeters by the year 2100, the entire country could be submerged" <ref> "Climate Change in the Maldives." South Asia -. World Bank, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2016 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22413695~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:223547,00.html. <ref>.

Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands are a collection of low lying islands and atolls located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, all less than six feet in elevation. Sea level rise has already encroached landwards and high tides and frequent storms continue to threaten local homes and property. In addition the underwater fresh water supply has been salinated by this influx of sea water. In 2013 over 200 homes were damaged in the capital Majuro, and the airport was forced to close due to particularly high tides <ref> Davenport, Coral, and Josh Haner. "The Marshall Islands Are Disappearing." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/world/The-Marshall-Islands-Are-Disappearing.html?_r=0. Website.<ref>. To a certain extent the Marshallese are trapped on island such as the Majuro atoll when large storms or tides occur, having no recourse to higher grounds or neighboring islands. Particularly dangerous are King Tides, especially high tides which occur only a few times a year. To preserve their land and fight off tides and storms, residents have resorted to building private sea walls for their immediate protection <ref> Lewis, Renee. "‘Nowhere to Move’: Marshall Islands Adapts amid Climate Change Threat." Adapting to Climate Change in the Marshall Islands. Al Jazeera, 19 May 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2016. <http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/5/19/Marshall-Islands-climate.html>. Website. <ref>. Industries and livelihoods on the Marshall Islands are also threatened by climate change. Fisheries, particularly the tuna industry, are being forced to adapt to changing ecological inputs <ref> Gilman, Eric, Matthew Owens, and Thomas Kraft. "Ecological Risk Assessment of the Marshall Islands Longline Tuna Fishery." Elsevier 44 (2014): 239-55. Web http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X13001966. <ref>.

Other Island Nations

Climate change is not only affecting the Maldives and the Marshall Islands. All islands, especially low lying ones with coastal population centers, are threatened by the effects of climate change. Other small Pacific island nations such as Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Nauru are threatened by encroaching sea levels and other effects of climate change. As well as island nations, nations with significant coastal low-lying landmass are also especially threatened by sea level rise.