Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Policy Integration in Pacific Island Countries: Trajectories and Trends

Abstract

This chapter provides a macro perspective on policy trajectories and trends of disaster risk management and climate change policy integration in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). It does so against the backdrop of key regional and global disaster risk and climate change governance milestones. The aim is to provide a contextualized overview of policy change in PICs, highlighting key points for further research. A desktop review and content analysis were conducted on national policies endorsed in the period from 1980 to 2020 for 12 PICs. The results show that: (i) policy integration in those countries is an innovation within regional and global disaster risk management and climate change governance contexts; (ii) integrated policies go beyond the integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management, and; (iii) there is a trend of integrated policies emphasizing climate change-related issues. These findings serve as new avenues for future research on disaster risk management and climate change policy integration in PICs, and as points for reflection on the development and practice of policy integration in the region.