Climate change adaptation in a small Pacific island nation

Abstract

Kiribati, a small Pacific island nation, is at severe risk of climate change. The geography and historic, linear development of its capital on the South Tawara atoll mean that many key public assets are at risk from impacts of coastal erosion and thus vulnerable to climate-change effects. An adaptation project started in 2003, which included developing a means of assessing coastal vulnerability and a process for proactive management of the coast. Guidelines offering alternatives to traditional coastal engineering methods were provided, and practical application of these guidelines was demonstrated at selected high-risk pilot sites in 2006–2010. Appropriate technology for increasing resilience was shown through application of simple but effective tools to identify and select adaptation options; recognition that customary responses ingrained over lifetimes will not be changed by a short-term project; and use of tried-and-tested quality improvements to traditional construction techniques. Rather than introducing completely new and unfamiliar measures, the pilot works enhanced and built on existing knowledge.