Abstract
Small island developing states (SIDS) are typically characterized by being environmentally and socio-economically vulnerable to disasters and climate change. Additionally, they often have limited resources for freshwater provisioning services. This article presents an assessment of disaster risk and water security-related challenges in SIDS focusing on three major dimensions: (a) how disaster risks are perceived and addressed in the SIDS context using a case study method, (b) analyzing the current status of water security in these regions using an indicator-based approach and (c) assessing gaps and needs in institutions and policies that can facilitate sustainable development goals (SDGs) and targets, adaptation and resilience building in SIDS. In this regard, information on all SIDS is collected to be able to distinguish trends in and between SIDS based on amongst others geographical location and characteristics. This synthesis noted two key observations: first, that in SIDS, the number of disasters is increasing at a higher rate than the global average, and that the frequency and intensity of the disasters will likely increase because of climate change. These combined factors will impact SIDS on the societal level and on environmental levels, reducing their adaptive capacity, resources, and resilience. Second, most SIDS are already water-scarce with low groundwater volumes. Because of increasing demand (e.g., population growth and tourism) and decreasing supply (e.g., pollution and changes in precipitation patterns) freshwater resources are becoming increasingly limited, often suffering from the spillover effects of competing and conflicting uses. Threatened ecosystems and limited economic resources further influence the adaptive capacities of communities in SIDS. In this light, key solutions to address disaster-risk and water security-related challenges can be found by sharing best practices and lessons learned—from examples of good governance, integrated policies, improved community-resilience, and capacity-building. Added to their fragile situation, SIDS struggle to find enough funding to put their development plans, programs, and policies into action.
Highlights
Small island developing states (SIDS) were first recognized as a distinct group of developing countries in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [1]
This paper describes how disaster risk and water security issues impact socio-economic and political stability in these island states, how integrated policies on water provisioning and water-related disaster risk reduction can support them to adapt to climate change and encourage community-driven resilience, and what can be learned from best practices and successful interventions of water security planning and disaster risk reduction approaches
The assessment shows us that disaster risk, climate change, and water security are important challenges for SIDS that are linked together and that will become more pressing in the future unless better and more funding for governance is put into place
Summary
Small island developing states (SIDS) were first recognized as a distinct group of developing countries in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [1]. SIDS are highly vulnerable to natural disasters and impacts of climate change. Australia and New Zealand brought in water and desalination units to help relieve the water crisis These increasingly important challenges require good governance and adaptation to make sustainable development possible. Often resilience is only seen as the capacity of an ecosystem to withstand and recover from damage This neglects resilience as a social process and as the capability of communities to absorb changes. This paper describes how disaster risk and water security issues impact socio-economic and political stability in these island states, how integrated policies on water provisioning and water-related disaster risk reduction can support them to adapt to climate change and encourage community-driven resilience, and what can be learned from best practices and successful interventions of water security planning and disaster risk reduction approaches. Previous literature mostly focuses on one geographic region or one aspect of disaster risk and water security; this article considers all SIDS and all the aspects of disaster risk and water security, to distinguish trends in and between SIDS
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