Lessons for adaptation pathways in the Pacific Islands

Despite contributing only 0.03% of global carbon emissions, the Pacific Islands region is at the vanguard of climate change impacts and adaptation conversations [1]. Varied aspects of Pacific Islander livelihoods are threatened by climate change, including food security due to predominately subsistence lifestyles (as highlighted in the photograph taken at Marobe market in Vanuatu as Fig 1), and these crises must be addressed through adaptation and resilience building. Examples for the Pacific Islands include: 1) rural technical colleges, with strong and stable governance structures, as sites for adaptation demonstrations and innovation that support extensive adaptation knowledge and skill transfers from these sites to home villages; 2) marketplaces and their ‘collective of vendors’ which have embedded extensive social networks and well-established governance systems that help create diverse and multiple positive outcomes for adaptive capacities; and 3) whole-of-island approaches to ecosystem management and adaptation which enables the creation of co-benefits across multiple ‘communities’ and groups of people [14]. Through these pathways we propose, we believe that local agency and capabilities can thrive, subaltern knowledge can be embodied, more appropriate and efficient entry points can be capitalised, and poor performance can lead to critical advancements in practice and policy.