What are a few key things you can think of to ameliorate climate change effects on Pacific Nations?

There was a lot of recent media attention on Kiribati as a Pacific Island Nation most severely affected by sea level rises. What are a few key things you think can be done to ameliorate those effects – whether from a policy perspective, or a practical volunteering perspective?

There is no doubt that low-lying atolls are highly vulnerable to sea rise. But what this sort of discussion misses is the point that climate change is often not a threat to the viability of these tiny countries. Rather, often these countries are already not viable. They are simply too small and isolated, and would collapse without foreign aid. What countries like Tuvalu and Kiribati need, more than anything else in my view, is the ability for their population to migrate. I’m not talking about climate refugees. It’s too early for that. But greater migration opportunities would provide an opportunity to diversify and stabilize these economies. Like a lot of good policies, it’s one that should be adopted even if climate change wasn’t happening. Studies have shown repeatedly that the small economies which do best are those which are the most closely integrated with larger economies. It’s one of the reasons why Polynesia (Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands) does better economically than Melanesia (Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, PNG) or the micro states (Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru). New Zealand already has schemes which give a special migration quota to some of the Pacific Island states. The quota is filled by lottery. Australia should adopt a similar scheme. It would cost us little, and would provide these islands both with a source of economic viability and with a safety net against catastrophic climate change.