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Small Island Developing States in a post‐pandemic world: Challenges and opportunities for climate action
Author(s) -
Foley Aideen M.,
Moncada Stefano,
Mycoo Michelle,
Nunn Patrick,
TandrayenRagoobur Verena,
Evans Christopher
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: climate change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.678
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1757-7799
pISSN - 1757-7780
DOI - 10.1002/wcc.769
Subject(s) - small island developing states , pandemic , sustainability , climate change , development economics , futures contract , coping (psychology) , equity (law) , geography , economic growth , political science , climate resilience , psychological resilience , environmental resource management , covid-19 , business , economics , psychology , ecology , medicine , disease , finance , psychiatry , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , pathology , psychotherapist , biology
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been impacted by and responded to COVID‐19 in ways that give us clues about vulnerabilities under climate change, as well as pathways to resilience. Here, we reflect on some of these experiences drawing on case study examples from the Caribbean, Pacific, and Indian Ocean SIDS, exploring how SIDS have responded to COVID‐19 and considering the potential for coping mechanisms enacted for the pandemic to support long‐term resilience to climate change. Island responses to the pandemic highlight both new directions, like tourist schemes that capitalize on the rise of remote working in Barbados and Mauritius, and reliance on tried and tested coping mechanisms, like bartering in Fiji. Some of the actions undertaken to respond to the pressures of the pandemic, such as visa schemes promoting “digital nomadism” and efforts to grow domestic food production, have climate resilience and equity dimensions that must be unpacked if their potential to contribute to more sustainable island futures is to be realized. Importantly, the diversity of contexts and experiences described here illustrates that there is no single “best” pathway to climate‐resilient post‐pandemic futures for SIDS. While the emerging rhetoric of COVID‐19 recovery often speaks of “roadmaps,” we argue that the journey towards a climate‐resilient COVID‐19 recovery for SIDS is likely to involve detours, as solutions emerge through innovation and experiment, and knowledge‐sharing across the wider SIDS community. This article is categorized under: Climate and Development > Sustainability and Human Well‐Being Integrated Assessment of Climate Change > Assessing Climate Change in the Context of Other Issues