ABSTRACT
What will happen to the small islands under the climate change scenarios currently envisaged? Despite the fact that island societies are small contributors to climate change due to their restricted populations and their production and consumption patterns, ‘they will suffer disproportionately from the damaging impacts of climate change’ (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 2007, p7). This vulnerability is largely the result of insularity or ‘islandness’ (Baldacchino, 2004, p272), their small size, remoteness and low accessibility, combined with unique and fragile natural and cultural environments. Due to their small size and the subsequent lack of natural resources (Tompkins et al, 2005), economies of scale are unattainable and therefore competitiveness in the world markets very low. At the same time, their economies – just like other peripheral and coastal areas – are usually characterized by mono-activity based on the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. agriculture, fishery, mining and tourism) that are excessively dependent on international trade. The issues related to their remoteness, adaptive capacity and accessibility increase the operational cost for enterprises, households and governance (administration and infrastructure) as well as for mitigation and adaptation measures. However, with their well-preserved local assets, customs and practices, these small islands have the potential to provide the exemplars of sustainability and endurance in the wake of a changing climate.
