Small Islands Developing States and Climate Change: An Overview of Legal and Diplomatic Strategies (original) (raw)

2017, Journal of Public and International Affairs

Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to their vulnerability to sea level rise. The consequences are already visible. Notably, they include costal erosion, water security, floods, and threaten biodiversity, which in turn compromises SIDS’ economic system based on fishing, tourism and sea transportation. The status quo of SIDS will inevitably deteriorate into two possible scenarios: they could turn into uninhabitable rocks, not suitable to host their population; or they could disappear, submerged by the sea. These events have never been seen before in human history and thus require ad hoc, innovative solutions. Despite the recognition of the peculiar and urgent issues affecting SIDS, the international community has limited its intervention to compensation funds for loss and damage. Nonetheless, these measures will not be enough in the long term. This paper will explore feasible solutions from the legal and political perspectives, with a particular focus on durable strategies. In the short term, the international community will have to maintain the current financial compensation measures specifically devoted to climate change adaptation infrastructures (developed under the Cancun Adaptation Framework). In the long term, financial measures have to be combined with new frameworks shaped to include this new category of people displaced by climate change consequences. Furthermore, the international community will have to consider whether SIDS will cease to exist as states in case of submersion of their territory under the sea. Could they still retain legal personality? If not, which country would host their governments and provide services to their population? In order to make these solutions efficient and durable, the paper will apply game theory (suasion game) to find how SIDS can enhance their bargaining power within the negotiations among the international community.