Small Island Developing States (Environmental Project)

Small Island Developing States

Building Resilience and Climate Action

Courtesy of ARUP

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are vulnerable to a range of shocks and stresses, and are particularly affected by climatic change.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are a group of small island countries that tend to share similar sustainable development challenges, including small but growing populations, limited resources, remoteness, susceptibility to natural disasters, vulnerability to external shocks, excessive dependence on international trade, and fragile environments.

Courtesy of ARUP

Their growth and development held back by high communication, energy, transportation costs, irregular international transport volumes, disproportionately, expensive public administration and infrastructure due to their small size, and little to no opportunity to create economies to scale.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are on the front line of global climate change and feel the impacts very directly. The challenges they are facing are interconnected and require multi-sector solutions.

Courtesy of ARUP

SIDS are often geographically remote, spatially dispersed, and low-lying. They are often highly exposed to global disruption with undiversified economies, small domestic markets, and dependence on only one or two rapidly growing urban centers.

From densely populated urban centers of the Philippines and Taiwan, to atolls and archipelagos of the Carribean, Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean, over 600 million people living on islands are at risk. On the one hand, natural hazards such as cyclones, floods and storm-surges, exacerbated by climatic change, in addition to geo-hazards specific to some islands represent major threats for the people, assets and economies of SIDS.

Courtesy of ARUP

On the other hand, the long term transformative effects of changes in climatic processes, such as average and peak temperature rise, erratic rainfall, and sea-level rise are magnified in the insular contexts, characterized by endogenous stressors such as depletion of eco-system services, urban growth and fragile economies that rely heavily on external factors. Water scarcity from higher evaporation and salinization of water sources, subsidence and coastal erosion from sea-level rise; and impact on agricultural productivity in climate sensitive economies, all greatly intensify risks in SIDS.

Courtesy of ARUP

Arup takes a systems-approach to strength the resilience of SIDS to shocks and stresses, and to contribute to the ongoing well-being of the island's populations, maximizing the opportunity for them to remain in place.

Courtesy of ARUP

Challenges facing SIDS are interconnected and require a system-approach to strength their resilience.

Courtesy of ARUP

Arup developed a spatial analysis and planning methodology to assess the resilience and predicted impact on climatic change in SIDS. The findings enable decision-makers and planers in SIDS to make long-term decisions regarding land-use governance and sector investments.

Arup is working on SIDS across The Pacific, The Caribbean and The AIMS (Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean and South China Sea) region. Their work is briefed in the below link.