Constructing Climate Security in the Pacific

Abstract

Derived from the concept of environmental security, climate security has shaped understandings of climate change in the Pacific in the last decade. Climate security has also brought the future of the Pacific into discussions about regional stability, failed states, and refugee crises. However, climate security is not a singular narrative and different discourses of climate security create differing political conditions for action and resource mobilization. Two competing constructions are the focus here: climate change and conflict, and climate change and vulnerabilities. While constructing climate security as vulnerabilities offers the most promise for addressing issues faced in the region, many actors, including governments in the Pacific, draw from both of these competing discourses where necessary.