Health Issues of Climate Change in Pacific Island Countries

Abstract

Climate change threatens the economic and social development of the island nations of the Pacific region, including detrimental effects on human health. Over the past four years, thirteen Pacific Island countries conducted climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. This group of countries includes some of the atoll nations considered to be the most vulnerable of any countries in the world to climate change impacts (e.g. Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshall Islands). These countries currently experience high rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases. High-priority climate-sensitive health risks common throughout the region include vectorborne, waterborne, and foodborne diseases; injuries and deaths from extreme weather and climate events; compromised food security and undernutrition; and the mental health impacts of, among other things, loss of livelihoods and climate change-induced population displacement. The burden of climate-sensitive health outcomes today and over coming decades will depend on the extent to which health systems are strengthened to the threats of existing and emerging climate-related health risks.